Flower and Prongs
by teenage.tradgedy
Summary: Lily Evans has become the new Hogwarts Head Girl, but her partner in action, the Head Boy, is her long hated enemy, James Potter.
1. The Letter

**Hey guys! This is my first Lily/James fanfic. I hope you like it!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. *sob*

**Chapter One**

**The Letter**

She woke up to a loud beeping noise somewhere in her room. What WAS that? She waved her hand in the air as if to tell it to be quiet or go away, but the beeping continued.

"UGH!" she sat up; her auburn hair disheveled, and looked around for the source of the noise. There by the door was an alarm clock. How many times had she told people to NEVER put alarm clocks in her room? Wasn't it bad enough that she had to wake up everyday in the first place and leave the comfort of a bed?

She pushed herself off the bed and stomped towards the clock, swaying a little from just having woken up. She picked it up and looked at the time. 5am.

"Are you KIDDING me?" she whined, and took the batteries out of the alarm clock. She opened the door and looked down the corridor. It was dark. _Great, _she thought, _even the suns not up. _

She marched down the hallway angrily to Petunia's room and opened her door with such force that it ricocheted off the wall and swung back, hitting her in the face. She grabbed her nose in pain, but nevertheless, stalked over to Petunia's bed, not bothering to be quiet.

"What is this?" she said to the sleeping form of Petunia, who didn't stir. Irritated, she pulled back Petunia's covers. Petunia woke up quickly, and looked around.

"Lily! What are you DOING?" she whined and pushed her sister away. Lily, determined, didn't budge.

"Why is there an alarm clock in my room?" Lily asked again. Petunia just stared at her.

"Well I don't know do I?" she said, and got out of bed, "It's just a freaking clock Lily get out," and with that, Petunia grabbed her sister by the hair and pushed her out of the room. The door slammed behind her and she stood there, in the dark hallway, irritated.

"Ugh whatever I need to sleep," Lily said, going back to her room.

Lily's eyes flew open and she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She looked around. She was still in the hallway outside of Petunia's room. She must've fallen asleep on her way back to her room. She stood up, feeling a weight on her shoulder. She rolled her head backwards, and screamed when something hooted in her ear.

There was an owl on her shoulder staring at her. Looking around to make sure there was nobody around, she went to her room and set the owl down on her desk and took the letter from its leg. It flew out of the window but Lily wasn't looking at it. She was suddenly wide-awake. It was a letter from Hogwarts.

Excited, Lily sat down on her bed, not caring that it was only 7 in the morning, and ripped open the seal on the envelope. She pulled out a heavy, coffee colored piece of parchment and opened it.

_Dear Ms. Evans,_

_Enclosed is a list of schoolbooks you will need for your seventh year of schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Regards,_

_Minerva McGonagall _

_Deputy Headmistress_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Lily's smile faltered a little. She was already in her seventh year of schooling and she had no idea what she wanted to do after her last year at Hogwarts. Everyone she knew already knew what they were going to do. Her best friends, Alice, Gwenog and Hestia already what they wanted from their lives after Hogwarts. Alice was going to be an Auror, Gwenog a Quidditch player, and Hestia wanted to work for the _Daily Prophet. _

She sighed and shook her head. She would figure it out when it was time to. She threw her envelope to the side and it landed on the floor with a thud. Odd. It was supposed to be empty. She leaned over her bed and picked the envelope from the floor. She turned it over and out fell a golden badge and a letter.

She picked up the letter first, recognizing Dumbledore's cursive slanted writing. She felt a pop of excitement as she opened the letter.

_Dear Lily,_

_Congratulations on becoming Head Girl! _

Lily froze. Becoming what? She quickly searched her bed and found the badge. Taking a deep breath, she flipped it over, to see the letters HG on a golden badge with a Gryffindor lion on it. Lily sat there, frozen, staring at her badge. She was head girl? She, Lily Evans, mudblood, head girl? A wide smile spread across her face. _OH MY GOSH I'M HEAD GIRL! _She screamed and bounced up and down on her bed. She couldn't believe it. She had never expected to become something as prestigious as Head Girl. Though she wouldn't admit it to herself, or anyone for that matter, she hadn't expected it because of her mudblood status. She shook her head, the smile on her face not vanishing, and went back to reading.

_Dear Lily,_

_Congratulations on becoming Head Girl!_

_I am very pleased to declare that you are one of the brightest minds here at Hogwarts and you deserve this prestigious position. _

_On the Hogwarts Express, you and our Head Boy will be meeting in the prefects carriage at the beginning of the journey, and will discuss the plans for this coming school year. You will then have to round up the prefects and brief them before going to your compartment. _

_I look forward to seeing what joys you will bring to Hogwarts_

_Have a lovely summer,_

_Albus Dumbledore._

Lily screamed again and her mother came running inside her room holding a frying pan, "What's going on?" she yelled as she barged in, armed with her frying pan weapon. Lily looked at her mother, in her pink fluffy bathrobe, and matching pink fluffy slippers with a frying pan raised over her head and burst into laughter.

Jane Evans, seeing there was no danger, lowered the crude weapon and looked at her daughter, "Lily this isn't funny. I thought you were being attacked!" she sighed, exasperated , and sunk onto the bed next to Lily, "why were you screaming?" she said, looking irritably at her daughter. After all, Jane Evans, just like her daughter Lily, hated mornings, and because of Lily's screams she had sprinted up the stairs to come to her daughter's aid.

Instead of saying anything, Lily handed her mother the letter with a radiant smile. Lily watched has her mother's eyes widened and as a smile split across her face.

"OH LILY!" she squealed, pulling her daughter into a hug, "I am so proud of you! Congratulations! Oh and so wonderful to get this on your birthday!" her mother squealed.

Lily sat there shocked. It was her birthday? How had she forgotten? She was seventeen today. She was of age. She could perform magic at home. Her smile, if possible, grew even bigger. Her mother hadn't noticed Lily's internal realizations and squealed once again. Lily turned to see her mother holding her Head Girl badge.

"Oh Lily-pie I'm so happy! I'm going to go tell your father!" she squealed and ran out of the room, letter and badge in hand. Lily was left sitting on her bed smiling to herself. She turned and reached into her pillow and pulled out her wand. She pointed across the room to the door her mother had left open, and shut the door. She laughed to herself, it was such a thrill to be able to do magic at home.

She decided to do everything by magic that day. She made their breakfast by magic (Petunia did not approve of that and didn't eat any breakfast), she did her chores by magic, and even dressed herself by magic. At lunch, she changed her father's clothes so they were bright pink, and changed her sister's noodles to worms and back, resulting in an irritated Petunia leaving the table, but not even her sister could burst Lily's bubble today.

An owl flew through the window and dropped a letter in Lily's lap. She tore it open, not recognizing the handwriting and read:

_Lily,_

_Happy birthday! Seventeen..wow that's..well…huge! Congratulations. Well I guess I just wanted to say happy birthday and I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express._

_From your Head Boy,_

_James Potter._

Lily sat there in shock, her bubble burst.


	2. Reunion Express

**Hi guys. So the first chapter was, to be honest, quite boring, but I swear its going to get pretty good. If anyone can come up with a better title for the story I'd really appreciate it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters sadly enough**

**Chapter 2**

**The Hogwarts Express**

Lily reached Platform 9¾ with butterflies in her stomach. She dreaded the idea of working with the new Head Boy (she wouldn't even say the name to herself) but had decided to make the best of a bad situation.

It was a few days after her seventeenth birthday and the 'Letter Incidence' and she was still feeling irritated as well as nervous at the prospect of having James as a partner. She was a bit disappointed in Dumbledore, be honest, for choosing James as the Head Boy.

_Potter? _She thought to herself, _the infamous Marauder James Potter. Why would Dumbledore possibly choose him to be Head Boy? _

She was thinking deeply along the lines of 'Dumbledore faced a moment of temporary insanity' and 'Dumbledore must've been thinking of James Potter's arrogance and accidently written his name on the note' when she heard a scream.

She turned just in time to receive Hestia in a bear hug. She laughed and hugged her best friend back with as much enthusiasm. Although they were a group of four, with her, Hestia, Gwenog and Alice, she had always felt closest to Hestia. They were the complete opposites of each other; Lily was studious while Hestia was not, Lily was school oriented whilst Hestia was boy crazy. There were so many differences between them, but that's what drew them closest together.

"Ohmygosh how ARE you!" Hestia screamed into her ear, still hugging her, jumping up and down, she pulled herself back from Lily so she could give her a once over, "Ah I see you're looking as beautiful as ever if I may-" Hestia cut off short as she looked at Lily's top, where Lily had pinned the Head Girl badge on her muggle clothing.

"NO WAY! HEAD GIRL!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, causing everyone in the vicinity to turn around to see what was going on, "LILY I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" she squealed and pulled her best friend back into another hug. Lily couldn't help but smile. What would she do without Hestia Jones?

"What's all this screaming?" Lily heard a familiar voice say and turned around to see her friend Alice standing there, watching them with a smile on her face. Hestia squealed once more and launched herself at Alice while Lily stood there smiling. Once Hestia was done, Alice walked over to Lily and looked down at her golden badge.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised," she teased smiling at Lily, "of course the know-it-alls would get the head of school badges." Alice laughed and hugged Lily, considerably more calmly than Hestia had done, "I'm so proud of you Lily-petal!" she squealed into her ear. Lily laughed and hugged her friend tighter.

"It's not only the know it alls thank you very much," she said, feigning a hurt look, "you need to be gorgeous," she winked at her friend, and the three of them burst into a fit of giggles, neither of them noticing the group of people who had approached them.

"Well it's nice to know you think I'm gorgeous Evans," said James, smiling down at Lily. Lily turned at the sound of the voice and her eyes narrowed when she realized who it was.

"Don't flatter yourself, Potter," Lily said, huffing. James' smile faltered.

"Why would that be flattering him?" Alice said, looking from James to Lily with a look of confusion on her face. James opened his mouth to answer but it was Hestia who beat him to it.

"No. Way." She said, a look of shock on her face, "You're Head Boy?" she asked skeptically, as if waiting for James to yell out 'JUST KIDDING'.

"You're WHAT?" said another voice behind them, and Lily turned to see Gwenog standing behind them, with a look of shock on her face, "You, James Potter, are Head Boy?" she said, just as skeptically as Hestia had done.

James smiled at them, "Well of course I am. As Evan's just said herself, you need to be gorgeous to get the position of Head Boy, and here I am as dazzling as what is needed to fill in the criteria," he said, causing Sirius to laugh.

Lily looked at Sirius, and, as usual, felt herself sigh internally. She had never liked the Marauders, but she had to admit they were a good-looking bunch, but James and Sirius, by far, were the most handsome. James had his dark hair that was always messy, and chocolate eyes that seemed to be permanently smiling, but were mischievous at the same time. Sirius had dark hair that fell into his eyes, but not in a messy way, more like in a majestic way, which accentuated his eyes, which always seemed to have a twinkle in them.

"Hello? Earth to Evans…" said Sirius, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Huh?" she said, looking up to look Sirius in the eye, causing Sirius to smirk.

"I was just wondering if you were planning on catching the train or not," he said, still smirking, gesturing to the Hogwarts Express.

"Right!" she said, and, ignoring the Marauder's snickers, hopped onto the Hogwarts Express, Hestia, Alice and Gwenog right behind her. Once they were in a compartment, Lily turned furiously towards them, "They are so infuriating!" she huffed, and collapsed onto a seat. Alice and Gwenog flopped down across from her while Hestia sat down next to her.

"Yes they are, but you have to admit they are one hot bunch," Hestia said, winking, causing the rest of them to laugh.

"Yes well there's no denying that," Gwenog said through her pants of laughter. Lily shook her head and stood up suddenly, causing everyone to look at her.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked, looking curiously up at Lily.

"I have to go to the Prefect compartment to meet Potter," she said, her nose scrunching on his name causing her friends to snicker, "and then we have to finish before the prefects get to the compartment, and instruct them on our plans for the year," she said, turning to Alice, "so that means you will come to help me fight of my doom of having to plan with Potter for the entire year," she grimaced at the thought, "I'll see you in a bit," she said, and with a wave to her friends, she stepped out of their compartment and walked down the train towards the Prefects compartment.

She was lost in thought, wondering how she was going to be able to withstand Potter for the whole year, when she passed by the Slytherins compartment. She looked inside and spotted Severus, sitting by the door with his head leaning against the glass. He looked up at exactly the moment she walked past, and when their eyes met, Lily turned her nose up and kept walking towards the Prefects compartment.

Once she reached the compartment, she stopped just out of view, and took a deep breath. _This is it, _she thought to herself, _now you have to control yourself. No yelling at James Potter. _

She shook herself, pasted a smile on her face and pushed the door open. James Potter was sitting on the other side of the compartment and looked up when she pushed open the door, a radiant smile on his face when he realized it was her who had opened the door. James had been in love with Lily since their first year at Hogwarts, and the fact that he had to spend a whole year with her made him euphoric.

"Hello Lily-petal," he said, smiling at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Let's establish some ground rules shall we?" she said, sliding onto the seat across from him, James, thrilled with the closeness of Lily smiled, "First off, you are not allowed to call me Lily-petal. No. Only a select few, like my mum, are allowed to call me that," she said, and shut her mouth. Why had she said that? That wasn't something James Potter needed to know. He seemed fascinated by it though.

"Your mother calls you that? That's nice" he said, giving her a genuine smile, which caused her to blink in confusion as her stomach did a little flip. Since when did James Potters smiles cause her stomach to flip? She ignored it. _I'm probably just hungry, _she thought to herself.

"Yeah, its real nice," Lily said uncertainly, then, shaking her head, she continued, "Rule number two, you have to behave, Potter," she said, looking him straight in the eye, but his smile did not vanish. To be completely honest, James was used to Lily acting mean around him but it didn't bother him anymore. He loved her, and there wasn't much he could do to change that.

"I always behave!" he said, putting on an expression of faux innocence, causing Lily to smile and roll her eyes. James was shocked. That was the singularly friendliest reaction he had ever gotten out of Lily Evans.

"Yeah, okay Potter," she said, rolling her eyes, causing James' stomach to swoop, "but if you defy these rules, ever, I will hex you into the next century," she said, her eyes turning hard, looking at James, who's smile still didn't falter, "Do you understand?" she said, narrowing her eyes at him, attempting to look threatening.

James rolled his eyes and turned to look her in the eye, "Yes O high and mighty," he said sarcastically. Lily's face split into a smile, surprising not only herself, but James as well, "Lily Evans, is that a smile I see?" he said, the corners of his mouth twitching, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Lily rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand, which, much to her satisfaction, wiped the smile off of James' face to be replaced by an expression of mild fear.

"Another rule Potter," she said, "To you, I am Evans. Not Lily Evans. Not Lily. Not Lily-petal, not Lily-flower, just Evans," she said looking at him watching as his smile reappeared, "and you will always just be Potter. Got it?"

James was openly laughing by the time she had finished her sentence, and even her pointing her wand at him couldn't stop it, "Yes Evans. I get it." He said, his shoulders still shaking from laughing. So he found her rules ridiculous? Well he'd see what would happen if he broke them. The thought of hexing James Potter brought a smirk to her face. She started to run a list of curses through her head, but was snapped out of her trance by James' hand waving in front of her face.

"Seriously Evans. Stop zoning out, we have work to do," he said, mimicking, what Lily recognized to be, her bossy voice in class. She smiled, relaxed and put her wand away.

"Alright, so our plans for this year," she said, looking expectantly at him, only to see that he was giving her the same expecting expression, "any ideas?"

James looked at her with a slight smile on his face and shook his head, "Seriously, I think Dumbledore lost his mind when he decided to put my name on the letter for Head Boy. I wasn't a prefect! I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to do," he said, smiling at her apologetically, "but," he said, straightening up, "I'm going to try to make the best of this situation, the Head Boy thing, and," he said, hesitating, "you," he mumbled looking anywhere but at Lily, who felt her eyebrows fly up her forehead.

"What do you mean by that?" she said quietly, looking at him. He just looked away, nervous. Lily hadn't expected James, the boy who teased her, the boy who asked her out all the time, the infamous Marauder, planner for so many pranks, to have fears.

He looked up at her and took a breath before continuing, "Well Lily," he started, then when realizing what he'd said, his eyes widened, "I mean Evans. Evans. Look, I know you don't like me, and you also know that I feel the opposite for you, but I'm not going to bother you this year," he said, looking up at her with big genuine eyes, which caused Lily to freeze, "I'm not going to pester you about going out with me, I'm not going to tease you, I just," he took a deep breath, "I want us to be friends."

Lily looked at him for a few minutes, thinking it over in her head. So he wasn't going to ask her out? He wasn't going to tease her? Was he serious? Just friends? Where had this come from, after 6 years of constantly asking her to go out with him? After chewing it over, Lily gave James, who was beginning to panic, a small smile.

"Okay Po-James. We can be friends."

"James?" he said, smirking, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes. James." She said, beaming.

"Alright, that's fine with me Evans."

"It's Lily," she said, "Lily."

When the prefects walked into the Prefect Compartment, it was to see their Head Boy and Head Girl sitting across from each other, talking. Alice, among them, was shocked. She had never seen Lily and James have a conversation that didn't involve screaming by Lily, hexing by Lily, or asking out by James. She cleared her throat, bringing it to their attention that she and the rest of the prefects were there.

Lily and James's heads snapped around at the noise, Lily looking curious, whilst James looked irritated. Once they realized the prefects were there, Lily stood up and smiled, James following.

"Hey guys," she said, offering them a smile, "take a seat."

Alice took the seat next to her best friend, giving her a look saying 'we will discuss this later'. Remus, who was also a prefect, sat next to James and clapped him on the shoulder as he sat down. Lily smiled at him. They had been Gryffindor prefects together, and therefore had spent a lot of time together, them and Alice. Remus offered her a smile in return. He had never had anything against Lily Evans, even though his best mate had been in love with her since he had first seen her, and she kept shooting him down, breaking his heart. To be completely honest, had he been in Lily's place during those last six years, he would've done exactly the same thing.

Lily turned to look at James, who was looking at her expectantly, and raised her eyebrows. Obviously waiting for him to say something. Remus had to hide a smile, anticipating James's speech. James cleared his throat nervously, and turned to smile at the compartment of prefects.

"Hey," he said, his voice shaking. He cleared his throat once again, and when he spoke he sounded much more confident, "so many of you must be wondering, as I am, why in the name of Merlin Dumbledore decided to make me Head Boy," he started, earning a lot of snickers and giggles from around the room. The whole school had been wondering, since the moment they'd found out, why James Potter had been elected Head Boy. He and his friends, with the exception of Remus, were the most mischievous and most notorious trouble makers in the entire school.

"Well that question I cannot answer for you," he said, smiling at the room. A couple of fifth year girls giggled when he smiled, and Lily had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. It was true, James Potter was gorgeous, but he was really nothing to fawn over. He was, after all, a big headed, over confident, Marauder. Lily had always thought it a wonder how he could get his big head off the ground on his broomstick. Maybe his broomstick was designed to be able to lift heavy heads. She was brought back to reality when James cleared his throat.

"Well, to get back on topic, this meeting isn't going to take very long, because I know exactly what it feels like to have to sit there, bored, wanting to get back to your friends, but where you guys learned this in these prefect meetings, I learned this in detention," the room erupted in laughter once more and even Lily couldn't hold in her smile. James turned to her, and smiled, proud of himself, and Lily rolled her eyes, imagining his head inflating even further. _Really, _she thought to herself, _If his head inflates anymore even his extra special broomstick won't make it off the floor. _

"Alright," she said, turning back to the rest of the prefects who turned their eyes from James to her, "As James said, we're going to keep this meeting short. We'll basically be talking about corridor patrols and responsibilities today and we'll get into the finer details on Saturday at around 3pm. That alright with everyone?" she said looking around the room to see nods in every direction.

_Man, _James thought as he watched Lily address the room, _She actually knows what she's doing. I'll have to ask Moony to fill me in so that I'm better prepared for Saturday. _

"So patrols," Lily said, picking up the piece of parchment she and James had been working on, that was lying on the table and beginning their meeting, every eye on the room, especially James', on her.

"So was that alright?" Lily asked Alice for the thousandth time on their way back to their carriage. Alice sighed. She was going to have to deal with a paranoid Lily all year now that Lily was Head Girl. Alice loved Lily, she really did, but sometimes Lily could be too much of a perfectionist for her liking.

"Yes Lily, that was perfect," she said, turning her head to smile at Lily, "Now will you shut up or I will go back there and fetch James to shut you up," she said, winking at Lily. That comment had the exact effect Alice had hoped for.

"WHAT? No. Never. Yuck. Gosh. Seriously Alice what is wrong with you? Who jinxed you?" Lily said, her nose scrunched up, "Merlin Alice why would you say that!" Lily exclaimed, hitting her friend in the arm, causing Alice to laugh.

"Only to get you to stop asking me how perfect you were," Alice said, laughing, and gave her friend a one armed hug.

On the way back to the compartment, they passed by the Slytherin compartment again, and Severus watched as his Lily walked by the compartment without as much as a glance at him.

Back in the boys compartment James flopped down onto the seat with a smile on his face, looking into the distance.

"Prongs?" Sirius said, sitting across from him, "Prongs mate you there?" he said, waving his hand in front of his best friends face. James ignored the hand and kept looking out the window thinking of the hour he had just spent with Lily having a civilized conversation.

"No he's not in there mate," said Remus, sitting down next to Sirius, and looking at James with the same intensity, but didn't have the same curiosity etched on his features as James did, Remus looked more amused.

"What? What's wrong with him? Where is he?" Peter said, getting up off the floor where he had been sitting to sit on the other side of Sirius, so the three of them were staring at James, sitting side by side.

"He's probably back in the prefects compartment," Remus snickered but when James' eyes flashed to Remus, he put his fist in front of his mouth to disguise his snickers as a cough.

"Why is he back in the prefects compartment?" Peter said, still sounding worried, but it was Sirius who answered instead of Remus.

"Ah of course. Evans," Sirius said, a snicker escaping him, "how was your one on one time with the Gryffindor know it all?" Sirius gave James an expression of faux innocence, causing James to turn and narrow his eyes at him.

"Hey! I think you picked up the narrow eyes thing from the flower herself," Remus said beaming, causing both Sirius and Peter to laugh. James, however, rolled his eyes and lay down on the seat.

"The flower Moony? Your prefect mind couldn't have come up with something better?" James said, turning his head to grin at Remus, who glared at James.

"Well I'd like to hear you come up with something better," he said with a scoff, crossing his arms in a challenging manner.

"No I don't think anybody wants to hear the mushy names James would come up with for Lily," Sirius interjected, giving James a cheeky grin, "I say we call her Lily-flower. That way we use Moony's extremely brilliant name as well as the name of the devil herself. All in favor?" he said, raising his arm in the air. Peter followed suite, which was to be expected, and Remus, rolling his eyes, raised his hand in the air as well.

"Are you serious?" James said, sitting up to look at his best mate.

"Why yes, yes I am," Sirius said, grinning at James who erupted in laughter.

"Oh, so very original Padfoot," Remus said rolling his eyes once again, but with a smile on his face. No matter what, the plays on Sirius's name were always funny. Peter, on the other hand, who worshipped James and Sirius's every act clapped and laughed so hard he fell off his seat. The rest of the Marauders, used to Peter's hero worship, ignored him.

"She hates people making up nicknames for her!" James said, looking at Sirius earnestly, "I don't want to get on her bad side," he said sadly, looking down at the floor. Remus looked at his friend in pity. James had been in love with Lily for so long that everything, even the good things, had started to hurt because he knew he couldn't get her. Sirius, on the other hand, did not approve or pity his friend's behavior.

"Prongs mate," Sirius said gently, "Don't you think you should, I don't know, get over her?" he said quietly. Remus stiffened and observed James; James and never taken well to this question. Peter, thinking along the same lines as Remus, looked worriedly between James and Sirius.

James however, instead of yelling at Sirius, turned to Sirius and smiled, "As if I haven't tried Padfoot," he said. Sirius sighed, as did Remus and Peter. Peter, changing the topic, turned to Remus.

"So when's the next full moon Moony?" he said. The question had the effect Peter had wanted, and the conversation blew up, discussing their plans for the upcoming full moon.

Severus stood up and walked out of the compartment, deciding to go after Lily who had walked by no less than 5 minutes ago. He had seen the gleaming Head Girl badge and had decided to go congratulate her. So what if she was angry at him? Head Girl was a prestigious position, and it was worth congratulating. At least, that's why he told himself he was going to talk to Lily.

He walked swiftly down the corridor, knowing which compartment she was in. She always sat in the same compartment, on the other side of the train from the Slytherins with her fellow Gryffindors.

He stopped a few compartments away from her and stood for a few seconds, resting against the door of the compartment with the back of his head pressed against the glass of the door, not caring who was inside.

"Is that who I think it is?" Sirius said, a smirk on his face as he looked towards the compartment door where what looked like a bat was leaning against it.

The rest of the Marauders turned towards the door and James felt a habitual smirk play up on his face, "Snivellus," he said, narrowing his eyes at the door. James had hated Severus since the first day of first year in the Hogwarts Express when Lily and Severus had walked out together.

"Excellent, let's go have some fun," Sirius said, standing up, pulling out his wand. Peter stood up after him, an anticipated smile on his face. Remus, who had always hated being involved in this, shifted towards the window of the compartment and pulled out one of their textbooks and started to read, "Prongs, let's go," Sirius said, looking down at James who hadn't moved. James looked up at Sirius and shook his head.

"I can't," he said regrettably, "Head Boy remember?"

Sirius grimaced and flopped back onto the seat, "that's going to get annoying," he said, turning to look at James, "does that mean you're going to be boring this year?" he said, the corners of his mouth twitching.

James smiled, and rolled his eyes, "You wish Pads," he said, pulling his wand out, "I'm just going to be sneaky," he winked at Sirius who barked out a laugh. James pointed his wand at the door and tied the laces of Snapes shoes together.

"What did you do?" Peter asked, disappointed at the lack of suffering on Snapes part.

James just turned to Sirius, who was also looking confusedly at Severus, "You'll see."

Severus, after catching his breath and gathering his courage, turned towards the direction of Lily's compartment. He looked inside the compartment and saw the infamous Marauders looking at him expectantly. He gave them the nastiest look he could muster, and took a step, only to fall over onto his face. He heard laughs erupt from the Marauders and looked down at his shoes to see the laces tied together.

He leaned down to untie his shoelaces, muttering about immaturity. When he finally got up, he stalked off to Lily's compartment without sparing a glance for the thick-headed Marauders.

He took another breath and opened the door to Lily's compartment, causing Hestia, Lily, Alice and Gwenog to turn to look at him. Once realizing who it was, all of them, including Lily, he noted with a frown, narrowed their eyes at him.

"Can we help you?" Gwenog asked in a nasty voice. Severus turned to look at her, and felt a little sad. He had been good friends with Gwenog when he and Lily had been friends. Hestia and Alice had never fully warmed up to him, even though Hestia and Lily were the best of friends, Gwenog, who he knew Lily was the least close to, had been the only one to accept him. After that dreaded day, where he had accidentally called Lily a mudblood, he had been shut out of their lives.

"I wanted to talk to Lily," he said, his voice coming out more quietly than he had anticipated. Gwenog rolled her eyes, and Severus, trying not to look to hurt, turned towards Lily.

Lily was glaring at Severus. She had trusted him, and had stood up for him in front of all her friends, only to be let down by him. Ever since the day he had called her a mudblood she hadn't talked to him. It made her summers extremely lonely, with no one but Tuney to talk to, who was busy running around with her whale of a boyfriend called Vernon of all things.

"Well Lily doesn't want to talk to you," she said, trying to look confident and cool, while on the inside she was pained by what had happened between her and Severus.

"Well I would really appreciate it if you could please come out and talk to me," he said, his eyes hardening. He could see through her little act, she knew it, but she didn't care. He had done something unforgivable, and it didn't help that she was a notoriously stubborn person. He didn't break eye contact with her until she finally sighed and stood up.

"I'll be right back," she said to her friends, and walked past Severus into the corridor of the train. Severus gave her friends a tentative smile, to which they all scoffed and turned away, and turned to follow Lily out of the compartment, closing the door gently behind him.

Lily stood there with her arms crossed, looking at him with a harsh expression. He suddenly felt his stomach drop. What was he going to say?

"Uh…hi?" he said, looking anywhere but at her. Lily didn't respond. She looked towards another compartment, where she saw James and Sirius dueling. James had just blown Sirius' head up to twice its size and she laughed. She saw Severus smile out of the corner of her eyes and turned back to give him a hard glare.

"What are you smiling at?" she said, narrowing her eyes at him. She saw the smile wipe of Severus' face.

"Nothing. I, uh, I just wanted to, um, congratulate you," he stammered out. His answer shocked Lily and her eyebrows shot up her forehead.

"Congratulate me? On what?" Lily asked, dropping all harsh pretense. Severus relaxed a little at her familiar tone.

"Head Girl," he said, raising an eyebrow as if it was an obvious answer. Lily blushed, it was an obvious answer.

"Oh, right. Thanks," she said with a small smile.

"Who's Head Boy?" Severus asked, hoping to keep up a civilized conversation with Lily.

"James," she said, and looked over at the Marauders again, to see James and Sirius looking at them. Sirius was curious where areas James looked furious.

"James?" he asked, and Lily snapped her head to look back at him, "James who?"

"Potter, what other James is there?" she asked irritated. Now all four Marauders were looking at them curiously.

"SINCE WHEN IS HE JAMES?" Severus yelled, causing Lily to jump and James to narrow his eyes.

"What do you mean?" she said, looking around to see people looking out from all compartments to see what the yelling was about.

"I CANT BELIEVE YOU WOULD BETRAY ME LIKE THAT!" Severus yelled at her, causing her to flinch.

"Betray you?" she said angrily, feeling all her emotions rise up to the surface; in her case, the fiery red-head stereotype was right, "How did I betray YOU?" she said dangerously.

"YOU SWORE!" he screamed at her. Lily saw her compartment door open and her friends walk out to glare at Severus, "I CAN'T EVER TRUST YOU AGAIN! YOU BEFRIENDED HIM?" he screamed tears forming in his eyes. Lily felt herself turn red.

"Why are you suddenly so sensitive?" she yelled back, "You call me a mudblood and then you think you have the right to yell at me and tell me what to do?" Severus froze, looking down at Lily, "We aren't friends anymore."

With that, Lily turned around and stalked off towards her friends, "Don't let me see you hanging out with him!" Severus yelled after her, and she turned around and gave him a look of astonishment, before heading over to the Marauders compartment, with all eyes on her, and kissed James full on the mouth.


	3. Arrangements

**Okay so I'm updating really quickly now because I have exams next week and I have gotten caught up. So I'm going to have to lock my computer away during Exam Week because I don't particularly want to fail ha-ha. So enjoy the fast updates! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except this story**

_**Previously:**_

"_Don't let me see you hanging out with him!" Severus yelled after her, and she turned around and gave him a look of astonishment, before heading over to the Marauders compartment, with all eyes on her, and kissed James full on the mouth. _

Lily pulled away from him, feeling triumphant, until she saw the expression on his face. _WHAT in the name of MERLIN have I done? _She screamed in her head. Ignoring the gasps and whispers all over the train, she walked away from the shocked Marauders, walked past a furious and upset Severus, and into her compartment. She shut the door behind her and fell onto the seat, putting her face in her hands.

"I am such an idiot," she groaned into her hands.

"Actually I'm really proud of you if I might say so myself," Hestia said suddenly sitting across from her. Lily's head snapped up, she had thought she was alone. Hestia, knowing what Lily was thinking, grinned, "Creepy eh?" she grinned causing Lily to laugh, "Seriously though, great show, you really got Snape back for being such a tosser."

Lily looked up at Hestia miserably, "Yes I know I did. But did you see the look on James's face?" she dropped her face back into her hands and could sense Hestia's face draining.

"Oh. Right," Hestia swallowed, then grinned, " Yes I did actually. I was amused, but he heard the whole thing so I don't think he could have taken that as you loving him or anything," she said confidently, sitting up straight. Lily looked up at her best friend.

"You think?"

"Of course I do! He was standing there listening, not that he could've helped it you were so loud, so he would know that you kissed him just to get back at Snape," Hestia said. Lily felt her heart rate slow down. She did not want to have ruined her newly found friendship with James over a stupid act to get back at Severus.

Lily exhaled and leaned back against the seat, "Anyway, let's talk about something else," she said.

"No no no no no!" Hestia yelled, jumping off her seat to sit next to Lily, "I want details!" Lily looked at her, confused, "You just kissed one of the most incredible looking boys at Hogwarts and you expect me to sit here and act as if it never happened?" Hestia pretended to look insulted and Lily laughed.

They heard a loud noise from outside and Lily ran out to see what all the commotion was. Severus had his wand out, looking murderous, and there was a hole in the glass door to the Marauders compartment. Sirius, Remus and Peter had pulled out their wands and were glaring at Severus, and Lily watched as James walked out of the hole in the door, evidently just having been blasted through it.

Lily watched as James pulled out his wand and pointed it at Severus, who had all four Marauders' wands on him. Lily, angry, pulled out her wand and pointed it at Severus, "_Expelliarmus!" _She yelled, and Severus's wand flew towards her. Severus turned furiously to see who had disarmed him, and his expression changed to one of fear when he saw it was Lily who had done it.

"What do you think you're doing!" she yelled at Severus, indicating to James and the door to the Marauders compartment. Severus stood there, dumbstruck. Lily exhaled before calmly saying, "I think you need to go back to your compartment," tossing his wand back to him. He stood there for a few more moments, looking at her with an unfathomable expression in his eyes. Lily lost her patience and pointed her wand at him. Afraid, Severus turned around went back to his compartment, his head hung.

Once he was gone, Lily turned to the people who were watching, "Back inside your compartments, nothing happened here," she said in a voice of authority, and watched as everyone went into their compartments. Alice and Gwenog, who had stayed outside instead of following Hestia smiled at Lily and gestured towards their compartment, as if to say 'we'll be in here'. Hestia winked and started to follow after them, but Lily grabbed her sleeve.

"I am not going to go talk to them by myself!" Lily whispered causing Hestia to chuckle. Taking a breath, Lily walked over to the Marauders compartment, ignoring the Marauders, and muttered, "_Reparo," _to fix the door before gesturing for the Marauders to go inside. She turned around to head back to her compartment but felt something grip on her arm. She turned around to see James Potter holding onto her arm. He gestured down the corridor, suggesting they go for a walk, and Lily groaned internally. Now they were going to have to have the awkward talk.

Lily sighed and nodded, turning to Hestia, who offered her the thumbs up, and walked side by side with James down the corridor.

"Prongs mate, where are you going?" Sirius whined. Sirius wasn't the brightest when it came to girls, considering he'd never had a long-term relationship. Remus rolled his eyes, muttered something about Sirius's lack of tact and pushed him into the compartment, followed by Peter whose eyes were following after James and Lily.

They walked down the corridor without speaking. James cleared his throat, "So, um…" he started, looking around him for inspiration to continue. He took a breath but Lily pinched his arm to shut him up.

"Not here" she hissed, "Prefect compartment." James nodded in understanding and walked with Lily to the Prefects compartment feeling as if his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Yesterday, if someone had told him he'd be friends with Lily Evans, he would have been thrilled. Not only was he 'almost friends' with her, but also, Lily Evans had kissed him.

Two compartments from the Prefects Carriage, Severus was sitting with his head pressed against the window, tears forming in his eyes, furiously blinking to make sure they didn't spill. He turned as he heard the word mudblood, and saw Lily and James walking by their compartment, heading for the prefects compartment. He felt his throat close up and leant his forehead against the window once again, feeling tears escape his eyes.

James opened the door to the compartment for Lily, and then walked in after her, making sure the door was closed before turning to face her. Lily was sitting on the same seat she had been on earlier, next to the window, and James went to sit across from her. She looked up at him and gave him a nervous smile when he sat down, which he returned.

"I'm guessing you want to discuss what just, um, happened out there." She said it like statement, not like a question. James nodded and she took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it," she said quietly, looking down at the floor, "He was just being so, so, so commanding and it was driving me crazy, then he was telling me not to talk to you and next thing I knew I was kissing you," she said, blushing on the words 'kissing you'.

James was quiet. He had expected that to be her answer, but he had hoped. Lily looked up when he didn't reply, looking extremely guilty and James laughed, "You look like you've just committed a serious crime," he said, "Look. I didn't mind, but next time, please give me some warning?" he gave her a cheeky smile and Lily rolled her eyes. He was making a joke, "Come on Evans, you want to laugh don't you?" he said, sitting down next to her and nudging her shoulder. Lily laughed and slapped him on the arm.

"In your dreams Potter," she laughed, "But, we're…okay right?" she said uncertainly. James looked at her, shocked.

"Why wouldn't we be okay?"

"I...I don't know. I was just..." Lily trailed off and James looked at her. He had never seen her so vulnerable and uncertain. It was so out of character. James rolled his eyes and stood up, offering her hand.

"C'mon Evans. I need to get back to the Marauders and plan, um, stuff." Lily narrowed her eyes at him and he smiled cheekily and shrugged, "Just because I'm HB doesn't mean I'm going to stop being a Marauder, Evans. I thought you were smart," he teased. Lily rolled her eyes, and ignoring his outstretched hand, stood up.

"I don't want to know," she said, and walked out of the compartment, James following after, smiling.

"Lily-flower!" Sirius yelled when James opened the compartment door. Lily, who had been passing by the compartment to go to her own froze, and turned back.

"What did you call me?" she asked, looking at Sirius.

"Nothing Lily-flower," he said cheekily, throwing her one of his most charming smiles. Lily crossed her arms and glared at Sirius while James, who'd been standing in the doorway next to Lily went to sit down next to Remus, who was watching the scene play out before him with an amused expression on his face.

"Do not call me that," Lily said, "or I will put you in detention," she smiled at the idea, waved to Remus, and walked out of the compartment. Once the door closed behind her, James, Remus and Peter burst into laughter.

"Ooh you're going to be put in detention by Lily-flower!" Peter said, punching Sirius on the arm. Sirius was looking after Lily with an expression of fascination on his face, which James did not like.

"Don't even think about it Pads," James said dangerously.

"I cant promise that Prongsie-pie, but I can promise not to do anything about it," Sirius said, blowing James a kiss which James rolled his eyes at.

"I guess that's the best deal I'm going to get," he said, "and do not ever call me Prongsie-pie," he said giving Sirius his best impression of Lily's death glare.

"Yeah Sirius, its not very manly," Remus chuckled.

"Manliness doesn't apply when best mates are involved," Sirius said philosophically, causing the other boys to snort, "Anyway, I wasn't thinking about Lilykins, I was thinking about asking her to introduce me to her friend."

"Which one?" Peter said tentatively from Sirius's side.

"Does it matter?" Sirius said, winking at James who, like Remus, rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I'm hungry," Sirius announced, rubbing his stomach.

"I thought you were Sirius," Remus muttered under his breath, and James burst into laughter.

"Oh ha-ha you're so funny," Sirius said, but couldn't manage to get the smile off of his face, "but seriously," he whined, ignoring the snickers on the word seriously, "Lets get something to eat!"

"There's no point Pads, we're reaching to school soon. You wont have any room for the feast," Peter said, looking out the window.

"Since when do I not have space for food in my exceptionally well toned sexy stomach?" Sirius said giving Peter a look of astonishment. James rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Yeah okay c'mon Pads lets get something to eat, let's go Moony, Wormtail," he said, leading Sirius out of the compartment. Remus stood up to follow them, as did Peter, and they walked down the corridor to the front of the train where the trolley was usually parked.

Lily had walked into her compartment to find it empty except for Alice, who was sitting in the corner reading _The Daily Prophet. _

"Where is everyone?" she said, looking at Alice whose head snapped up at the sound of a voice.

"Oh the Jones's went to have some cousin bonding time," she said, turning back to her paper. Hestia and Gwenog were cousins, and spent a lot of time discussing their families and updating each other because they didn't get to see their aunts and uncles. Lily sighed and sat down.

"At least its not where we have to listen to it," she said, and Alice laughed.

"You've got that right, it's so irritating having to listen to them talk about Uncle Albert and Cousin Bill," she said, rolling her eyes, "Hey do you remember Arthur Weasley?" she said suddenly, looking up at Lily, who nodded, "he's getting married."

"Really? To who?" she squealed. She had known Arthur really well. He had been a seventh year when she had been a first year but somehow they had found time to talk.

"Molly of course," Alice said, rolling her eyes. Arthur and Molly had been together since their second year at Hogwarts.

"Oh that's so sweet!" Lily squealed, "I'll have to send him a letter."

"You want to come visit Frank with me?" Alice said a little quietly.

"Frank who?"

"Longbottom."

"Sure! We haven't said hi yet? How rude. Let's go," Lily said enthusiastically, pulling on her friends arm. They got out of their compartment and walked over to Franks compartment, which was one over from the Marauders.

When Lily and Alice walked by, James' head snapped and watched as Lily walked by, chatting animatedly with Alice. He smiled and went back to his game of wizards' chess, feeling as if becoming Head Boy hadn't been such a bad thing after all.

When they reached Hogsmeade, Lily walked out with her friends and went off to find a carriage. She heard a familiar voice yelling "Firs' yers" and turned around to see Hagrid, who was about 3 times the size of a normal sized man, and waved to him. Somehow, Hagrid managed to see her, and he waved back.

"How'sit goin' Lily?" he yelled out.

"Good yourself?"

"Pre'ey good! See you 'round" he said, and continued calling out for the first years. Lily was about to climb into her carriage when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to see James.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, to school?" she said, confused. James rolled his eyes, amused.

"Head Boy and Head Girl don't go up in the carriages," he said patiently, as if it was common knowledge, "we go from there," he said, pointing to a little boat at the corner of the Black Lake.

"No, first years go up in the boats, older kids go up in…" she trailed off as she saw James start to smile.

"I'm not stupid Lily, I asked Remus. Let's go," he said, pulling on her arm. She sighed, waved to her friends who were trying their hardest not to laugh, and walked towards the little boat with James.

"Why do we have to go up separately?" she whined, not liking the idea of having to go up to Hogwarts with James instead of her best friends. James chuckled at her whining.

"Because we have to get there first to talk to Dumbledore about the plans for this year," he said, rolling his eyes, "I don't really see why. I mean, what difference does it make doing it now, as opposed to tomorrow?"

"I don't know why are you asking me?" she said, "and this is horrible. I hate boats," she said as they stopped in front of the little boats. She sighed and stepped down into the little boat, expecting it to rock back and forth, but it stayed steady. She sat down so that she was facing the school, meaning James would have to go to Hogwarts backwards.

James stepped into the boat and sat across from Lily. He liked the fact that they had to sit so close to each other; their knees were touching. Lily, however, hated the prospect of having to sit so close to him. She had agreed to be friends with him, but she still didn't like him that much. Six years of strongly detesting someone's every aspect was a huge habit for her to get rid of.

They sat in the boat, waiting expectantly for it to move, "Why isn't it going anywhere?" Lily asked, looking around.

"Maybe we have to say something for it to move?" James suggested, "Hmm, let's see. Go?" The boat didn't move.

"Oh this is ridiculous!" Lily exclaimed, "We have to get to Hogwarts!" The boat lurched forward, and Lily almost fell off, while James fell forward so that his face and Lily's face were only a few inches away from each other. Slowly, James got back to his seat, not breaking eye contact with Lily, whose face had turned a bright shade of red.

_What is wrong with me? Why is he having such an effect on me? _Lily thought to herself, attempting to slow down her heart rate and drain the blood from her face.

_Prongs my man, you've got it bad_, James thought to himself as he straightened out his robes.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, James cleared his throat, "Well I guess you got the boat to move," he said matter-of-factly. They looked at each other for a second before both of them burst into laughter.

When they had calmed down, James removed his glasses from his face, to wipe the tears with his robe. Lily, for the first time, noticed how bright his eyes were without his glasses on. His eyes weren't chocolate at all, but a beautiful shade of hazel. Lily shook her head and looked over at Hogwarts, which they were almost at already.

"Well that was fast," she mused, "The boats in first year seemed to take forever."

"That's because they're supposed to," James said, looking at Hogwarts over his shoulder, "The boats are enchanted to take about 10 minutes longer than the carriages so that the second years and above can get seated and relax before the first years come in for their sorting."

Lily looked at James, stunned. How did he know that? James turned his head when Lily didn't say anything and smirked.

"I read too Evans believe it or not." Lily laughed and felt the boat lurch to a stop with such force that they fell over again. This time, however, Lily fell onto James, and found herself, somehow, sitting on his lap. James' arms were protectively around her, making sure she didn't fall, and she felt her face heat up again. _What is going on? _she thought, trying to push her blush away, thankful that it was dark and that James couldn't see it.

She jumped off of James and waited for him to climb out of the boat. They walked up to the castle, engulfed in another awkward silence.

When they pushed open the doors of the Great Hall, it was empty, except for the teachers up at the top table who were mingling.

"This is weird," James whispered, and followed Lily into the Great Hall. When they walked in, the teachers looked over at them and burst into applause.

"What do we do?" Lily whispered over to James.

"Smile and take a bow," he said. Lily looked over to see him smiling, so she smiled up at the teachers too. Then James bowed. Lily burst into laughter, as did the teachers, and James stood up straight, "told you the bowing thing would be the right thing to do," he said, giving her a cheeky smile before walking up to the high table, Lily struggling to keep pace with him. He was so much taller than she was, and she found herself almost jogging to keep up with him.

Minerva McGonagall stood up and walked over to the Head Boy and Girl and, much to their surprise, smiled, "Congratulations on being appointed Head Boy and Head Girl. I am delighted to have two from my own house appointed in this prestigious position, even if I was a little shocked when Professor Dumbledore told me," she said, glancing over at James who smiled wider, "Well, you two have to go discuss with our headmaster. The password is 'skittles'. Apparently its some muggle candy that Professor Dumbledore finds appealing," she said, shaking her head, and with another rare smile, turned back to the high table to continue her discussion with Professor Binns.

Lily turned and headed out of the Great Hall, towards the marble staircase, James on her heel, "What's a skittle?" he asked her as they walked up the marble staircase.

Lily laughed and shook her head, "You have no idea how weird it is to have someone ask a question like that, especially since I've grown up sneaking them from the kitchen," she said, smiling at the memory, "they're muggle candy. They come in different colours and each colour tastes different," she said.

"Do you have any?" James asked, fascinated.

"I think I have some somewhere in my trunk," she said, "why, do you want to try one?"

"Well yes, I'm curios!" he exclaimed, causing Lily to giggle.

They reached Dumbledore's office, and Lily took a deep breath before knocking on the door with the brass knocker. They heard a voice say, "Come in!" so James pushed open the door.

"Ah! Lily, James!" Dumbledore said, standing up to shake their hands, "My head pupils," he smiled at them before gesturing towards the seats in front of his desk, "Please, have a seat."

Lily and James sat down and Dumbledore sat down across from them, putting his hands together and x-raying them with his piercing blue eyes. After a few moments of silence, Lily felt James squirm and a smirk crept up on her face. Dumbledore, noticed Lily's smirk and smiled at her before clearing his throat.

"What I must discuss today, is not the most happy topic, but I think it crucial that you are aware of the severity of this situation. Voldemort is recruiting," Dumbledore said solemnly. The atmosphere in the room changed and Lily felt James straighten up in the chair next to her.

"So it's true then sir, that Voldemort is building up an army?" James said seriously. Lily turned to look at him; she had never seen him this serious in anything.

"Yes James, it is quite true. Am I to understand that your father has already warned you of this situation?" Dumbledore asked, looking at James, who nodded, then Dumbledore turned to Lily, "What about you Lily, are you fully aware of this situation?" Lily shook her head.

"Well. Lord Voldemort believes in the purity of blood," he said, and Lily felt both men turn to look at her, and squirmed, "and he believes that those who are not pure should be vanquished. He wishes to bring forth a new pure blood regime and exterminate all those who are not worthy of magical blood," Lily noticed how Dumbledore's tone had turned extremely bitter; obviously he didn't approve of Voldermorts actions.

"What does this have to do with Hogwarts Professor?" Lily asked, looking at Dumbledore, "Surely Voldemort isn't going to break into Hogwarts and attempt to recruit people," she said matter-of-factly and Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

"That is correct Lily, but that does not mean he will not attempt to persuade the students otherwise. It is my guess that he will be sending letters to students he wishes to become part of his army," he said, looking at Lily, "And I also believe that he will attempt to recruit the two of you," he said solemnly and quietly.

"Why both of us?" Lily asked, "You just mentioned that Voldemort desired a pure-blood regime, surely he wouldn't attempt to recruit…well…me," she said, looking down. Lily felt James' eyes on her but ignored them.

"Lily," Dumbledore said, and waited until Lily met his gaze, "Even though you may be a muggle-born, you possess a lot of talent, and you are talented enough to be Head Girl," Dumbledore said, smiling at Lily, "It's only natural that he will attempt to target those in positions of power. This basically means you and the prefects, and most of the Slytherins," he added bitterly, "I understand there is not much you can do to control the Slytherins decisions, however, I do believe you should inform the prefects at the very least of this movement," he said, looking at both James and Lily sternly. The two of them nodded, and Dumbledore smiled, satisfied.

"Now let us go down for the feast shall we? I am craving the house elves' pumpkin pie," he said jollily, and opened the door of his office to allow both of them through, "and Lily," he said before she exited the room, "You being muggle-born is not something to not be proud of," he said quietly, "No matter what people may say, most of the most talented witches and wizards I know have been muggle-born. Blood isn't everything," he said, smiling. Lily smiled back and walked out of the door.

When they reached the Great Hall, they walked together to the Gryffindor table, each looking for their friends. Lily found her friends and sat down, while James continued down the table in search for the Marauders. He found them and took his usual seat next to Sirius, who was staring at the golden plates in front of them as if willing them to fill up with food.

"Don't worry Pads, they'll fill up soon enough," James said, as he sat down next to Sirius.

"Prongsie!" he yelled, causing people in the vicinity to turn to look at him. James rolled his eyes and looked across the table at Remus, who was laughing.

"What's so funny?" he said to Remus.

"Peter slipped some Essence of Euphoria in Pads pumpkin juice," Remus snickered. James looked back at Sirius, who was grinning and looking around the Great Hall. James laughed and looked for Peter to high-five him.

"Where is Wormtail?" he asked Remus, who looked around.

"I don't know. He was here a second ago," Remus said, confused.

"Wormtail!" Sirius yelled loudly, causing James and Remus to jump, "Wormy! Wormy wormy wormy!" James and Remus laughed at the expense of their friend before deciding to give him the antidote. Once Sirius was back to his normal self, which wasn't so normal in the first place, he leaned forward, in all seriousness, looking at the two of them.

"So what's our welcome back prank?" Sirius said, looking from Remus to James. James looked around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.

"I say we do something to the ceiling," he whispered, looking up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, which was a calming night sky.

"Yes that's a good idea!" Sirius said, beaming at his best mate, "what should we do?"

"I have a great idea," Remus said, and whispered it to his two best mates, and the three of them grinned at each other, drawing out their wands.

"Welcome to a new year!" Dumbledore said, spreading his arms, after the sorting and the feast, much to Sirius's pleasure, was over. The Marauders, minus Peter who was nowhere to be found, had their prank set up, and were waiting for the right moment, "to our new students, welcome! And to our old students, welcome back! First years, you have a lot to look forward to in your magical education, but, sadly, that is when you learn all the boring stuff," Dumbledore said, bringing about lots of chuckles from the older students, and grimaces from the first years, "second, third, fourth and sixth years, your magical education will continue. Nothing terribly exciting this year, unfortunately, but you'll have fun. Fifth years, your O.W.L.S are upon you and seventh years, your final year, and your N.E.W.T.S are here!"

"I would like to introduce our new Head Girl and Head Boy, Ms. Lily Evans, and Mr. James Potter." As anticipated, there were a lot of whispers, gasps and shocked laughs at the mention of James' name, causing Dumbledore to chuckle.

"Anyway," Dumbledore continued, "I have only one last thing to say," he began, but was distracted by a loud banging noise, startling the whole student body, who all began to squeal and laugh as the ceiling of the Great Hall began to rain gold, and the ceiling turned bright pink, as the stars began to rearrange themselves. The whole Great Hall watched, enchanted, as the stars stopped, forming the words

'Marauders, final year! Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs'.

The student body clapped and cheered, many of them giving standing ovations, and Remus, Sirius and James, stood up on the bench and took their bows, causing even more cheering and applause. Even at the high table, teachers joined in, in clapping and cheering. James spotted Lily, who was clapping and laughing, and felt elated.

Dumbledore held up his hands after a few moments and the hall went quiet, "It was about time," Dumbledore said, looking at the Marauders, "I was expecting that a lot sooner," and the hall laughed as the Marauders grinned at Dumbledore, whose eyes twinkled, "but you forgot one detail," Dumbledore said, and drew his want, pointing it at the ceiling. There was another bang, and the words then read,

"Marauders, final year! Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and (our 'respected' Head Boy) Prongs'

The hall rung with laughter and James stood up on the bench to receive more applause and wolf whistles. He looked at Lily again who was laughing once again, and James smiled up at Dumbledore, who winked.

After the feast, Lily started to walk towards the marble staircase, but was stopped by McGonagall who brought her over to the side, and then caught James and pulled him over as well.

"Let's go to your new living quarters," she said, and gestured for them to join her.

"Our new living quarters?" Lily asked in a small voice.

"Yes, of course. The Heads of school get their own living quarters," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and started up the marble staircase. She went up to the seventh floor, the same was as Gryffindor Tower, but instead of turning to the left and going up to the Fat Lady, she turned into a secret corridor and lead them to a mahogany door, "The password is 'Caput Draconis," she said, to the both of them before offering them another rare smile, "Enjoy," and with that, she walked away.

"We have to live together?" Lily whispered to James, looking at the mahogany door with a wary expression.

"Apparently," James said, and swallowed, pushing the door open.


	4. Complicated

**Hey everyone. How's it going? I'm writing this at 1 in the morning so if some parts don't make sense, well, that's my reason. Have a lovely weekend!**

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own about this story is the storyline**

_**Previously: **_

"_We have to live together?" Lily whispered to James, looking at the mahogany door with a wary expression._

"_Apparently," James said, and swallowed, pushing the door open. _

The Heads dormitory was amazing, as it turned out. It was similar to Gryffindor tower, smaller, but there were only two people living there. There was a fireplace, and the same comfortable couches in front of the fire as were in the Gryffindor common room. There were two large desks, one on each side of the room, but facing each other, and there was a bookshelf by the window. There were two spiral staircases, leading to their bedrooms, and in between the staircases there was a door.

Lily walked over to the door and pulled it open, to see a grand bathroom.

"We have to share a bathroom?" she asked, and turned to James, who was still looking around their common room, as they would end up calling it, mesmerized, "Potter?" she said, trying to get his attention. He turned to look at her slowly.

"Mm?" he said, turning away from her again to look at the spiral staircases. Lily watched him and smiled. He looked like such a child.

"Nothing," she said, and walked over to the fireplace, flopping down on the couch that she always occupied in the Gryffindor common room. It was more comfortable than the one in Gryffindor Tower. She sighed.

James turned to look at her and flopped onto the couch next to her and lay down, "I like being Head Boy," he said, smiling up at the ceiling. Lily laughed and stood up. James sat up as she stood up, looking at her curiously.

"It's been a long day, I'm going to bed," she said awkwardly, "Erm, goodnight."

James watched as Lily ran up the spiral staircase on the left, and ran back down. He raised her eyebrow at her, "That one's your room," she said and ran up the staircase on the right. James chuckled and stood up, stretching. He headed over to the staircase on the right, Lily's staircase, and looked at it. Lily appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed in a tank top and pajama bottoms, and looked at him questioningly.

"Do you think the charm works on this staircase as well?" he asked, "In Gryffindor Tower if a boy tries to go up to a girls dormitory then the staircase turns into a slide, do you think that'll work here?" Lily looked down at the stairs and shrugged.

"I have no idea," she said honestly. James took a deep breath and lifted up a foot and putting it on the first stair. Nothing happened.

He took another step, and nothing happened. He looked up at Lily, smiling triumphantly. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Goodnight Potter," she said, and turned around, going into her room. He smiled and went down the stairs, heading over to his room.

Lily hopped into bed, and sighed. The bed was so much more comfortable than it had been back in her dorm. She looked around, and suddenly felt lonely. Back in her dormitory, she had had 3 other beds, with 3 other people to talk to before she fell asleep. She exhaled and laid her head against the pillow, which made a crunchy noise like they did in muggle hotels, and fell asleep quickly.

James entered his room and saw the king sized bed. He changed into his sleeping attire and jumped into bed. He was on the verge of falling asleep when he heard a buzzing noise from over on the dresser. He got out of bed and walked over to see his two-way mirror with Sirius vibrating.

"Talk to me Pads," he said to the mirror, and Sirius's face appeared in it.

"Where are you?" Sirius whined. James realized he hadn't told the Marauders about his new living arrangements.

"I'm in my room," James said quietly, looking at Sirius's expression. He watched as Sirius considered his bare chest and boxers and saw an expression of sadness cross his best mates face.

"So you're not going to stay with us anymore?" Sirius said sadly.

"I probably can sleepover sometimes," James said, and Sirius cheered up considerably.

"And I'm guessing I have your permission to sleep over as well is that right?" Sirius said, grinning at James, who rolled his eyes.

"No I'm sorry I don't allow dogs in my room," James said, and Sirius laughed.

"Alright mate. I want to come see your room!" Sirius said suddenly, and James heard another voice.

"His _room_?" Remus said, and suddenly his head appeared in the small mirror, "James you get a room? That's so cool!" he exclaimed, "Can we come see?" James looked over at the clock and saw that it was only 8:30pm.

"Sure. Your curfew isn't till 10 anyway" he said.

"10? Our curfew is at 9 James," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

"Not anymore," James said, winking, "Head Boy, remember? I say your curfew is 10."

Sirius barked a laugh and Remus smiled, "Yes gracious leader. Where should we meet you? I don't know where the Heads dorm is."

10 minutes later, James was waiting by the stairs that went up to Gryffindor Tower. He saw Remus and Sirius exit the portrait hole and come down the stairs.

"Prongsie!" Sirius yelled, pulling James into a man-hug. James laughed and hugged Sirius back before looking around.

"Where's Wormtail?" James asked.

"He's asleep," Remus said, rolling his eyes, "We got back to the dormitory to find him asleep." James laughed.

"He can see my dorm some other time. C'mon, this way," he said, leading them towards the corridor leading to the Heads dorm.

"It's weird not being in the same dorm isn't it?" Remus said, looking at James, who nodded.

"It is weird. But I love my new living arrangements," James grinned. He looked over at his friends hurt expressions, "Not that I don't miss you guys!" he added quickly, "It's really lonely, since it's only me and Evans," he said, sighing.

"You and Evans are living together?" Sirius said, and waggled his eyebrows at James who shoved Sirius, much to the amusement of Remus. They arrived at the mahogany door, James said the password, and pushed open the door. Remus and Sirius had similar expressions on their faces as James and Lily had had the first time they opened the door.

"Wow," was all Remus could say, looking from the fireplace to the staircases. Sirius seemed to be at a loss for words, which was a first. He walked over to the fireplace and flopped down on the sofa Lily had just vacated, and groaned.

"This is so comfortable," he sighed, sinking deeper into the couch. James laughed and turned to Remus, who was looking through the books, as expected, "which way to your room?" Sirius asked, gesturing towards the staircases.

"Mine's the one on the left," James said, "And Lily's is the one on the right." Sirius got off the couch and walked over to James.

"Can you go up her staircase?" he asked. Remus turned around, also interested in hearing the answer to this question.

"Yes actually," James said, "I already tried." Remus raised his eyebrows, impressed, and walked over to James and Sirius, his eyes on Sirius.

"Sirius, what are you thinking?" Remus asked warily, looking at the now mischievous expression on Sirius's face. James turned to look at Sirius, who, ignoring them both, walked over to Lily's staircase. James looked at Remus, who shrugged.

"EVANS!" Sirius yelled, causing both James and Remus to jump.

Up in her room, Lily sat up with a start. She heard a voice yell 'Evans' a few more times and groaned, "WHAT?" she yelled back, irritated. Whoever had the nerve to wake her up was going to die. She grabbed her wand and looked down to make sure she was properly attired. She had changed into shorts before going to sleep, so she was now wearing shorts and a tank top. She walked to the door and pulled it open.

"EVANS!" she growled as she recognized the voice.

"Black what are you doing here?" she said, and walked down the staircase, her wand tucked into the waistband of her shorts. James gawked as Lily came down in a tight tank top and short shorts, her hair unruly. He had never seen anything so beautiful. Sirius gawked at her as well, as did Remus. The Hogwarts school robes left too much to the imagination, as the boys had frequently discussed.

Lily walked to the bottom of the stairs so she was almost face to face with Sirius, "What are you doing here?" she asked again. Sirius, once again, didn't know what to say. Lily looked around and saw James and Remus, "Hi Remus," she said, smiling, before turning to look at James.

"Warning next time please?" she said to him, and walked over to the couch, flopping down on the armchair Sirius had been sitting in.

"Sorry," James managed to choke out. Lily turned to him and smiled before turning to look back at the first, "Why don't you go back to sleep?" James said.

"Can't. Not after being so rudely awoken," she said, glaring at Sirius, who was still frozen at the bottom of the stairs.

"Want me to take you to bed Evans?" Sirius said with a smirk. James felt hot acid boil up in his stomach and turned to Sirius, who winked at James, to show he was only playing around. Lily stood up and walked up to Sirius.

"Sure why not," she said, standing close to Sirius, who jumped back a foot, shocked. Lily smirked, winked at Remus who was laughing, and walked up the stairs. The boys watched her go, and heard a door shut.

"You know what Prongsie," Sirius said, turning to look at James, who was beaming, "She's not all bad."

Remus and Sirius left around 10, James had gone to drop them back to their dormitory, so they wouldn't have gotten in trouble for being out so late. When he walked back through the portrait hole, he saw Lily sitting in an armchair by the fire, staring at the fire. He blinked, thinking it was a mirage, but turned out Lily was actually there. He walked over to sit down next to her.

"Lily I thought you'd gone back to sleep," he said gently, turning to look at her.

"No," she said, not tearing her eyes away from the fire, "I was thinking too much."

James ran a hand through his hair, an action he did when he was at a loss for words, making it significantly more messy, "What were you thinking about?" he wondered if that question was a bit too much to ask, but to his surprise, Lily answered.

"Everything. NEWTS, Voldemort, Severus," she said, turning to look at him. James felt his jaw clench at the mention of Snivellus.

"What about them?" he said, controlling the anger in his voice.

"NEWTS, because I'm scared, and I really have no idea what I want to do with my life. Voldemort, because of his recruiting and his pure-blood thing. And Severus because, well," she trailed off, looking into the fire, "we used to be best friends. We've known each other since we were 9. Did you know that?" she said, turning to James, who was astonished. He hadn't realized Lily and Snivellus went that far back.

"No, I didn't."

"I figured," she said, looking down at her hands, "He was the one who told me I was a witch after watching me on the swings. He was the only one I could talk to during the summer, even after we'd been separated into Gryffindor and Slytherin. Hestia doesn't like to write because it's bad for her nails," Lily said, smiling to herself, "and Alice, Gwenog and I got closer after Sev called me, well, you know. So it was usually just Sev and I during the summers," James watched Lily as she spoke, noticing how she brought her hand up to her hair frequently, pushing it out of her eyes.

"But this summer," she continued, looking back into the fire, and James saw her eyes glazed with tears, "This summer I had nobody but Tuney to talk to. Tuney, my older sister, who hates me because I'm a witch and she isn't." Lily said, a tear leaking out of the corner of her eye. James reached forward to wipe it off but Lily jumped up, "I think I'm going to go to bed," she said, and ran up her staircase, James' eyes trailing after her, still watching her staircase after he heard her door shut.

James woke up the next morning to something poking him in the arm. He opened his eyes and looked up to see a blurry Lily standing over him, dressed in her Hogwarts robes. He sat up quickly and put on his glasses, the world instantly getting clearer.

"What time is it?" he said, rubbing at his eyes.

"Time for breakfast. Now go get ready," Lily said, pushing him until he stood up out of bed. He was wearing nothing but his boxers and Lily found herself staring at a shirtless James Potter. _You wouldn't think Quidditch would give you that kind of body_, She thought, as she looked at James' stomach. James, who was watching Lily, smirked.

"See something you like Evans?" he asked, grinning at Lily. Lily, blushing, rolled her eyes and walked out of the room.

"Just hurry up okay?" she said, closing the door behind her. Lily walked down the stairs and walked over to examine the bookshelf. She heard the door open and turned quickly to see the Marauders and her friends walk in. Peter, Hestia, Alice and Gwenog, who were seeing the place for the first time looked around in wonder. Hestia, who noticed Lily first, squealed and ran over to Lily, pulling her into a hug.

"We _missed _you!" she squealed. Lily laughed and hugged her friend back.

"I missed you guys too," she said, looking from Hestia to Alice and Gwenog who were smiling at her.

"Nice place," Alice said, walking around.

"Where's James?" Peter said, looking around.

"He's in his room. He slept in," Lily said, gesturing to the spiral staircase, which, led to James' room. Peter ran up the stairs, followed by Remus and Sirius, leaving the four girls downstairs by themselves.

"We really did miss you Lils," Gwenog said from the armchair by the fire, "And I am so jealous. This armchair is so much more comfortable than the chairs in the common room!" she said, turning to look at Lily, "Are we going to be allowed to hang out in here instead of the common room? It's noisy in there!" she whined, "The first years this year are so annoying. They wouldn't stop talking and screaming," she whined. Lily laughed.

"Yes you can come in here instead of the common room," she said, "Want to go down to breakfast?" She held her hand out to Gwenog to help her up.

"Breakfast!" Sirius yelled happily as he ran down James' spiral staircase, "Did I hear someone say breakfast?" he said, looking around. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes I did. Is your boyfriend ready?" she said, nodding her head towards James's room.

"Why Lily-flower. However did you know?" Sirius said, acting girly, which actually brought a smile to Lily's face.

"Seriously."

"Yes I am Sirius," Sirius said, with a wink to Lily, causing the other girls to laugh, before turning to the spiral staircase, "PRONGSIE!" Sirius yelled up the staircase.

"Yes Pads," James said, yawning whilst coming down the stairs, his hair looking extra messy, followed by Remus and Peter.

"Prongsie-poo!" Sirius yelled, hugging James, who patted Sirius on the back.

"Why are you being so lovey?" Remus asked, walking around Sirius and James.

"Didn't you know?" Sirius said, slinging an arm around James' shoulders, "Prongs here is my boyfriend," he said, batting his eyelashes at James who turned to look at Lily for explanation. The four girls were laughing though, so it wouldn't have been possible to get an answer out of them.

"It's not important," Lily said to James, "Breakfast! I'm hungry," she said, and walked towards the door with Gwenog. Hestia and Alice followed after them, Hestia blowing a kiss to Sirius, who removed his hand from James' shoulders to gawk after her.

"Let it go Pads," James said, clapping him on the shoulder, "Food!" Sirius's face brightened at the idea of food.

"Food!" he yelled and, grabbing James, sprinted towards the door. Remus laughed and followed after them with Peter.

As usual, McGonagall was handing out schedules at breakfast. Lily took hers from McGonagall and looked at it.

"Double Charms, Potions, Transfiguration," Lily said, looking through her schedule, "Not bad, what about you guys?" she said, looking around at her friends, but it was McGonagall who answered her.

"All of the Gryffindor NEWT students are in the same classes as you would need all those classes for the professions you are all pursuing," she said, as she handed Alice her schedule, "So the four of you will be in all the same classes," she said, smiled at them, and walked away.

"Sweet!" Gwenog said in a deep voice, before turning towards her toast. The girls ate, talking about them all being in the same classes the whole year, before they all got up and headed over to Charms.

"So Lily, what's it like living with Potter?" Alice asked, walking beside Lily.

"It's strange, I guess, but I cant really say, it's only been one night," Lily said, shrugging, "but I walked into his room this morning and it smelled like socks, already," Lily groaned. Alice, Hestia and Gwenog laughed though.

"That's disgusting. I have no idea how boys manage to stink up a room in one night," Gwenog said, while they were taking their seats in Charms, rolling her eyes, "We walked into the Marauders dormitory yesterday to ask if they knew where you were, since James is their best mate, and it was already smellier than a pigsty."

"That's not a very nice thing to say Jones." The girls turned around to see the four Marauders sitting behind them, smirking.

"What are you doing here?" Alice blurted out, irritated. Lately the Marauders had been everywhere and, in her opinion, too involved in their lives. She liked the Marauders, she really did, but there was no denying that having them in a class wouldn't help her pass.

"When McGonagall said all the NEWT Gryffindors were in the same classes, I think she meant the boys as well," Hestia murmured to Alice. Lily groaned. As if she didn't already have enough of Potter in their dorm but she had to have him in all her classes as well?

"Exactly right Hestia, love," Sirius said, winking at Hestia, who, to Lily's surprise, blushed a little. Lily looked at Hestia, who gave her a pleading look when she caught Lily's gaze. Lily nodded at her and mouthed 'we'll discuss it later' and Hestia smiled gratefully.

At that moment, Flitwick stood up and started talking to them about their NEWTS. Lily and Remus were probably the only ones who were paying any attention at all. The other girls were doodling or passing notes, while James and Sirius were enchanting their quills to dance the can-can while Peter watched them in fascination. Their NEWT discussion took one of their Charms periods, but as they had Double Charms, Flitwick instructed them to practice all the charms that they had been learning since their O.W.L's.

Charms was always the perfect class for people to talk, and as they had Charms with the Hufflepuffs, who kept to themselves, the Gryffindors were able to talk to each other freely. Frank Longbottom, their fellow Gryffindor, came over to sit with the girls, and Lily noticed how Alice blushed when Frank smiled at her. That was another conversation she was going to have to have.

A few minutes after Frank sat down, Lily felt an arm around her shoulder and turned to see Sirius sitting next to her. She shook his arm off and shifted away from him, much to the amusement of everyone else, and James sat down next to Lily instead.

"So Potter, have you asked her out yet?" Frank asked from across the circle. James turned red, as did Lily, while the Marauders and Lily's friends howled with laughter.

"No he hasn't," Lily said to Frank, a little defensively. James gave her an appreciative smile, and turned to glare at his friends until they stopped laughing.

"Just kidding Potter," Frank smiled, leaning across to pat James on the shoulder. James rolled his eyes and spent the rest of the class pointedly not looking at Lily. Once class was over, they all stood up and walked out of the class, and somehow, Lily found herself walking next to Remus.

"Hello there Lily," Remus smiled at her, as they headed to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Hi Remus," Lily said, smiling back at Remus.

"Can I ask you something?" Remus said quietly, looking at Lily, who nodded. She had always liked Remus. They had dated very briefly, for about 2 days, which James didn't know, in fifth year when they were both prefects, but Remus had ended it because of his loyalties to James. Lily hadn't particularly liked Remus that way, but they had been good friends, so she hadn't wanted to hurt his feelings.

"James hasn't asked you out has he?"

"Wouldn't you know if he had?" Lily asked him, eyebrows raised. Remus nodded, "then why do you need to ask?" she said, turning to look him in the eye.

"Curious. I thought you might've been lying about him not asking you out to ongbottom because he was being a nosy prick," Remus shrugged, and Lily laughed.

"Me? Lie for Potter? Wow Remus its as if you don't know me at all," Lily laughed, and Remus smiled, but his smile faltered a little.

"Lily don't you like him at all?" Remus said, looking sadly at Lily, "I mean, he has been in love with you since first year," he said. Lily's head snapped up to look at Remus.

"Really? That long?" she said quietly, turning to look at James and Sirius who were a few meters ahead of her, chatting animatedly. She watched as James ran a hand through his hair, making it messier, and laughed at something Sirius had said.

Remus didn't say anything, just nodded, and Lily looked up at James, transfixed. Six years was a long time. Remus quietly walked away, leaving Lily to her thoughts, and walked over to Sirius and James, clapping James on the shoulder. Lily watched as James asked him something, to which Remus shook his head and James' shoulders dropped, visibly relaxing.

"Lily!" Lily jumped and turned around to see Severus walking towards her. She glanced at the Marauders, who had all frozen and turned around, Remus, now in the middle of James and Sirius, with a restraining hand on both of his friends' shoulders while Peter stood, transfixed by the expressions on Sirius's and James's faces. Sirius looked furious, his eyes on Severus, while James looked angry, but even slightly worried, as his eyes landed on Lily. James heard Hestia walk up and stand on the other side of Sirius but ignored her. After all, after what Lily had told him last night, which he was pretty sure she didn't remember, he was worried that Severus would hurt her. Not physically, but emotionally. James pulled out his wand just in case, and he saw Sirius draw it as well.

"Lily," Severus panted when he finally reached her. She was standing with her arms crossed, an unfriendly expression on her face, "Hi." Lily didn't say anything. She just kept looking at him. Severus looked into the green almond eyes he knew so well was hurt to see that they didn't have the same friendliness they had possessed before when he had talked to her. When Lily still hadn't said anything Severus cleared his throat.

"How's your day going?" he asked, attempting to strike up conversation.

"Fine." Lily's tone was neutral, but Severus heard a tinge of anger in it and internally flinched.

"How was your summer?" he asked, glad that he had at least gotten a response out of her, but realized that was the wrong question when Lily's eyes narrowed, and Severus noticed behind her how James' eyes narrowed as well.

"My summer?" Lily said in a low voice, "My summer? Well let's see, I was stuck at home with Tuney, who didn't want anything to do with me and kept running our with her boyfriend. My parents had things to do so most of the day, I sat at home and attempted to entertain myself," she said, her voice shaking. Severus flinched at the anger and accusation in her voice.

"I was going to come over but you weren't speaking to me," Severus whispered.

"Oh and why is that Severus?" Severus looked at Lily whose voice had gone unbelievably harsh. He was hurt at the fact that she had called him by his full name as opposed to her nickname for him, 'Sev'.

"Because I called you a you-know-what," he said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"I'm sorry I don't know what you're saying," Lily said angrily, not caring that she was hurting him, "what's a you-know-what?"

"A mudblood," he whispered, and looked up at her, "I shouldn't have said it. I'm sorry," he said, offering her a little smile, which she did not return.

"Why shouldn't you have said it? You call all other muggleborns mudbloods. Why am I any different?" Severus didn't know what to say. After a few minutes Lily rolled her eyes and turned around to walk away but Severus grabbed her arm, causing the Marauders, including Lupin, who was always the nicest, to hiss.

"Lily I said I'm sorry, what more do you want me to say?" Severus said.

"I want you to leave me alone," she said, turning to look at him, "We were friends Severus! I trusted you! I stood up for you in front of everyone and when I tried to help you, you called me a mudblood, and you expect me to just _forgive _you?" she said it quietly but Severus felt as if she was screaming at him, "Well that's not going to happen," she said with finality and pulled her arm out of his grip.

"But Lily…" he started, but she cut him off.

"No. Even if I do forgive you, what difference will it make?" she said, taking a few steps back from him, "You're so excited to go join Voldemort and become one of his Death Eaters, see you're not even denying it, and all he wants to do is get rid of all the mudbloods like me," she said, tears forming in her eyes, "So you see? I'm doing you a favor. You wont have to pick." And with that, Severus watched as Lily Evans turned her back on him, and walked to Hestia, who glared at Severus before putting her arm around Lily and walking with her into the Great Hall.

"You heard her," Peter sneered at Severus, "leave her alone." Severus ignored him and turned to look at Potter, who was glaring at Severus. He looked at Potter for a few seconds, hatred boiling inside of him, before walking around them into the Great Hall, feeling their gazes on him until he sat down at the Slytherin table next to Avery, Mulciber, and Dolohov, who clapped him on the back.

Severus watched as the Marauders walked into the Great Hall, and as Potter sat himself down next to Lily. He watched as Potter, looking at Lily, said something and as Lily smiled and nodded at Potter, before turning back to her food. Severus felt his eyes prickle and excused himself, leaving the Great Hall, unnoticed by Lily, to go to his dorm.

Back at the Gryffindor table, James was quietly telling the rest of the Marauders about what had happened after Remus and Sirius had left the night before.

"That Snivellus!" Sirius whispered angrily so that Lily wouldn't hear, "He's such a prat! They were best friends and he called her a mudblood?" Remus just shook his head, agreeing with Sirius, while Peter just gawked at James as if waiting for him to jump up and say 'just kidding'. Feeling bad, Sirius got up and, pushing James out of the way, sat down next to Lily.

"Yes Sirius?" Lily said, looking at him, eyebrows raised.

"Are you alright?" Sirius looked at Lily who gave him a gentle smile and nodded.

"Thanks," she said quietly, before standing up, and leaving the Great Hall for Potions with her friends.

"Wow Sirius," Remus said, looking impressed, "I didn't realize you had a sensitive side." James laughed as Sirius threw a balled up napkin at Remus, who dodged it easily.

"C'mon let's go to Potions," Sirius said, picking up his books and leading his friends to class.

Potions and Transfiguration went by quickly, and before she knew it, Lily found herself up in the Heads dorm, sitting at her desk, tackling a rather nasty essay McGonagall had given them in Transfiguration on transfiguring fire. She was half way through, a small frown on her face, when James walked through the door, dressed in his Quidditch robes, with his broomstick over his shoulder. Lily looked up and saw that his hair was windswept, making it messier, and he was completely drenched in water.

She turned to look out the window to see it was raining. Odd. She hadn't heard the thunder. She looked back at James, smiled, and got back to her essay. James, however, pulled out his wand and pointed it at her essay, rolling up the parchment and putting it on top of the bookshelf.

"What was that for?" Lily asked, looking up at her parchment, and then at James.

"I need to talk to you," he said, squelching over to her.

"How about you take a shower first?" she said, gesturing to his wet and muddy Quidditch robes. He looked down and nodded.

"Fair point," he said, grinning at Lily who rolled her eyes. HE pointed his wand at the parchment and it flew back onto the desk in front of Lily and unrolled itself, before heading into the bathroom, leaning his broomstick on his staircase. Lily rolled her eyes and got back to her essay.

She had just finished when the door to the bathroom opened and James walked out, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Lily had to stop herself from ogling as James grabbed his broomstick and headed up the stairs to his room. Before she had finished rolling up her parchment, satisfied, he was down the stairs, hair still wet, dressed in black sweat pants and a navy colored shirt.

He walked over to the armchairs by the fire, and gestured for Lily to go there as well. Lily walked over to the armchairs and seated herself on the sofa, pulling her knees up and turning so she was resting against the armrest, and James sat himself on the other side of the sofa.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"I kind of gathered that for myself," Lily said, smiling. James rolled his eyes but seemed to relax a little.

"About what Frank said in Charms…" he started, and Lily's smile vanished, "I just wanted to say it's not going to happen again," he said quietly. Lily looked at him curiously. She was a little shocked, especially after what Remus had told her before. James turned to look at her, and Lily found herself looking into his hazel eyes, which, for the first time since Lily had known him, didn't have a glint in them. They looked dead. Lily was about to say something but James shook his head.

"No need to say anything Lils," he said, offering her a small smile, "I have to ask you a question," he took a breath, "Do you remember last night?" he asked quietly, looking her in the eye.

"What about it?" she asked, shocked.

"Do you remember sitting here talking to me yesterday?" he asked again, still looking at her.

"Oh, that, yes I do. Why?" she asked carefully. She watched as James' expression brightened.

"So you did tell me all of that out of choice?" he said, smiling. Lily laughed and nodded.

"Yes I did," she said, smiling at James, who smiled back. James stood up and stretched.

"I think I'm going to go up to my room now," he said, and Lily looked up at him questioningly

"Why? It's only 8, and you have work to do," she added sternly and James groaned.

"I knew living with you was going to turn me into a goody two shoes," he whined, and walked over to his desk, pulling out his Transfiguration book with a sigh as Lily laughed.

"You look like you're being tortured." Lily stood up and walked over to her desk, hearing James mutter something along the lines of 'not far from it' and sat down, smiling. She pulled out her potions book and another piece of parchment to start on answering the questions Slughorn had set them.

There was a few minutes filled with only the sound of quills scratching parchment, when the door opened and the Marauders walked in. James, who was absorbed in his Transfiguration essay, a small crease in between his eyebrows and biting his tongue, didn't notice his friends enter, but Lily did. Her head snapped up, and she watched as the three other Marauders looked at James, with a look of mingled shock and amusement on their faces.

She watched as Sirius pulled out his wand, winked at her, and pointed it at James. There was a yell, and James was up in the air, dangling by his ankle. Sirius, Remus and Peter laughed, and Lily heard herself laughing along with them. James, still upside down, pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sirius, whose hair stood up and tangled itself, causing Sirius to yell. Sirius's hands flew up to his head, and James fell down in a heap onto the floor.

"What did you do that for!" Sirius yelled, looking at James who was smiling, his face red from all the blood that had flown into it.

"Ah did I mess up your hair Padfoot?" James said innocently, earning himself a glare from Sirius, who stormed past him into the bathroom, obviously going to fix his hair. Remus and Peter were still laughing, and James, chuckling to himself, rolled up his Transfiguration essay, which was half done, and put it back into his bag. Lily rolled up her finished questions for Potions, put it in her bag, and walked up her staircase to put her bag up in her room.

She walked down the staircase, to find Sirius, whose hair was still tangled and messy, yelling at James, who was laughing, along with Remus and Peter, who was refusing to untangle his hair.

"Untangle my hair this instant!" Sirius yelled at James, who shook his head, smirking at Sirius, who yelled in frustration. Lily laughed, and Sirius turned around, "Lily-flower!" Lily rolled her eyes, laughing and started to walk around him.

"Please please please can you untangle my hair!" he begged, getting down on his knees in front of Lily who just kept laughing.

"I thought your hair had no flaws Black," she said, smirking down at him.

"It doesn't have any flaws, it is perfectly supple like a baby's bottom," he said smoothly, "But all the same I would appreciate it if you could untangle it so it could be as irresistible as it usually is," he winked and Lily rolled her eyes, and walked around him.

"Your hair isn't irresistible Black," she said, walking towards the door. Next thing she knew she was dangling by her ankle as well, "Put me down!" she screamed, turning her head to look at Sirius who was smirking.

"If you promise to untangle my hair," he said. Lily sighed and nodded, and crumpled in a heap on the floor. She pointed her wand at Sirius's hair and it stood up. Sirius sighed, and waited for it to fall around his face, which it didn't. He looked at Lily who was smirking

"You said to untangle it. You said nothing about what it should look like." And with that, Lily walked out of the Heads dorm, hearing James, Remus and Peters laughs, leaving Sirius's hair standing straight up.

She walked up to the Gryffindor common room, said the password, and walked inside, to be greeted by screaming. She looked around to see the first years screaming and running around, much to the displeasure of the other Gryffindors. She looked around the common room and felt a pang of nostalgia. She looked around for her friends, and, assuming they were up in the dorm, walked up the spiral staircases. She pushed the door open to see her friends sitting on their beds, working on their Transfiguration essays.

"I wish Lily was here, she usually understood this stuff," Gwenog grumbled, crossing something out furiously.

"Wow it's like magic," Lily said, smiling at Gwenog whose head shot up.

"Lily!" Hestia screamed and jumped at Lily.

"Hi," she smiled, then her expression turned stern as she looked at Hestia, "I need to talk to you," she said, and turned to Alice, "and you."

"What about me?" Gwenog asked.

"Well I haven't noticed you blushing around our friends yet," she said and Gwenog's eyebrows raised, looking between Hestia and Alice, who blushed, "So let's start with Alice then shall we?" Lily said, sitting down on her old bed, "Frank?" she smiled and Alice's face turned even redder.

"Alice you like Frank?" Gwenog squealed jumping up and down on her bed.

"Aw, Frank and Alice Longbottom," Hestia said in a lovey voice, smiling cheekily at Alice.

"Aw, Sirius and Hestia Black," Lily smirked, looking at Hestia who paled.

"Shut up Lily," Hestia said quietly.

"You like Sirius?" Gwenog screamed.

"Who likes Sirius?" Sirius said, pushing open the door to the girls dorms.


	5. Shock

**How's it going guys? Hope you're liking the story. I'm having a problem with the title. I can't think of anything better. If you have suggestions PLEASE don't hesitate to post it up in the reviews. **

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE (: your reviews brighten my day.**

**Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, because if I were I wouldn't be freaking out over my History exam. **

_**Previously:**_

"_Aw, Sirius and Hestia Black," Lily smirked, looking at Hestia who paled. _

"_Shut up Lily," Hestia said quietly. _

"_You like Sirius?" Gwenog screamed._

"_Who likes Sirius?" Sirius said, pushing open the door to the girls dorms. _

"No-one" Lily said, looking at Sirius.

Sirius snorted, "As if," he said, and winked at Hestia, as the other Marauders filed into the dormitory.

"What's up with your hair?" Alice said, starting to laugh. Sirius's hair was exactly as it had been when Lily left the Heads dorm. They watched as Sirius's expression darkened as he turned to glare at Lily, who was trying her hardest to hold in a laugh.

"Fix it Evans," he growled. Alice, Hestia and Gwenog burst into laughter.

"You did this to him?" Alice said, between pants of laughter. Lily smiled at Sirius innocently and he growled again.

"Really Evans its not funny!" he whined, taking a step towards her. When Lily still refused, Sirius stomped his foot in anger, "This isn't fair!"

Hestia pulled out her wand and pointed it at Sirius's hair, and it fell down into its majestic waves. Sirius turned to Hestia with the biggest smile on his face, "Jones, I could kiss you."

Hestia rolled her eyes, trying to cover up her blush, and Lily had to hold in a laugh, as did Alice and Gwenog. James, who was watching Lily, raised his eyebrows and looked between Hestia and Sirius. Lily looked up and caught his eye, and gave him a pleading look. _Jones likes Sirius? _James thought, and felt a smile spread across his face.

Sirius turned to look at Lily, with an expression of mock anger, before storming out of the room. Lily flopped back down on the bed, as Remus and Peter filed out of the dorm.

"Lily, you coming?" James said, gesturing to the door, "It's 9." Lily sighed and nodded, getting off the bed.

"Bye guys," she said, blowing kisses to her friends, before following James out of the dorm.

Lily and James got back to their dorm to see Professor Dumbledore sitting on the armchair by the fire. Lily shook her head and rubbed her eyes, making sure she was seeing correctly. Dumbledore turned and smiled at them.

"Ah there you are, I was wondering when you'd be getting back," he said, gesturing towards the sofa. Lily and James sat down and looked at Dumbledore, waiting for him to continue.

"So, I take it you've had a pleasant first day back?" he asked politely, receiving nods from both Lily and James, "Now, I have a matter to discuss with you," he said more seriously, "Your new living arrangements." Lily looked around the Heads common room and then to Dumbledore, wandering what he was going to say. When Dumbledore didn't say anything, Lily spoke up.

"Is there a problem sir?" she asked

"No, no, not a problem," Dumbledore said with a smile to Lily, "Just something to tell you," Lily relaxed. She had only been in the Heads dorm for two days but she didn't want to leave, "It's very secluded, and there are only the two of you living here," he started, clearing his throat, "And I understand you're teenagers and you have your hormones…" he continued, looking at them, and Lily felt her face turn red, knowing where he was going with this.

"Professor Dumbledore, if I may stop you there," Lily said in a high pitched voice, "We do not think of each other that way," she said, and watched as Professor Dumbledore's eyes flashed to James, who was pale, but continued, knowing what Dumbledore was thinking, "And I promise you that's not going to happen in here."

Professor Dumbledore looked amusedly between James and Lily's expressions, "I'm sorry to make you uncomfortable then," he said, standing up. Lily and James stood up as well, and only sat back down when Dumbledore had left.

"Was he going to give us the talk?" James asked, mortified. Lily nodded, still in shock. She hadn't thought of their living arrangements in that way. The living arrangements were intimate; they were living together. She looked over at James, who was looking away from here, his neck red.

"I think I'm going to go sleep now," she said awkwardly, standing up. As she turned to walk away, James grabbed her hand, and she stopped, turning around.

"Can we talk for a little bit?" James asked, looking up at her. Lily sat down and smiled.

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" James opened his mouth but at that moment there was a tapping noise at the window. James stood up and opened it, letting the owl fly in.

"Jackie!" James yelled happily, recognizing the owl. He ran to it, and tore the letter off of its leg. The owl sat there, waiting. James rolled his eyes, it was only natural for his parents to wait for him to reply, "Can I get this?" James said, turning to Lily, who smiled and nodded.

The owl, Jackie, turned to Lily and flew over to her, sitting on her head, "Uh hi?" Lily said to the owl, and James watched in fascination, as the owl started nipping at Lily's head, "Ouch!" Lily yelled, holding her head. James ran over and took Jackie off of Lily's head.

"I think she likes your hair," he said, trying to control a laugh as Lily turned to glare at the owl, "I don't think she's ever seen red hair before."

Lily turned to look at James, "It's auburn thank you very much, and that's no reason for your owl to try and rip my hair out," she said, and stuck her tongue out at the owl. James threw his head back and laughed, then carried Jackie to his desk.

"She'll be good, I promise," he said, and sat down at his desk to read the letter. Lily stood up stretched, before going up the stairs.

"I'm just going to go change," she said, when James looked up at her questioningly, and walked up the stairs. James tore open the envelope and began to read the letter.

_James,_

_How's Hogwarts? We haven't heard from you in a while, which is very disappointing. Your mother is glaring at you at the moment, so be afraid._

_How's Sirius? And Remus? What was your start of the year prank? How's Quidditch going? How's Lily Evans? Don't look at us (the parchment) like that. You've only been in love with her since first year. _

_Who's your Head Girl? _

_We have so many questions James! Also, are you staying at Hogwarts for Christmas? We would prefer it if you came home, and you can bring all your friends along. _

_Love, Mum and Dad_

James laughed at his parents. He could tell by the handwriting that his father had written the letter. He pulled out a new piece of parchment and a quill and wrote his reply.

_Mum and Dad,_

_Hogwarts is great! It's better than great actually. Being Head Boy rules. You get instant respect. And I got to change Sirius and Remus' curfew because we were hanging out and, well, why wouldn't I? More on the fantasticness of being Head Boy later. (Don't glare at me mum, why would you glare at your gorgeous son?) _

_Sirius is great. So is Remus. Oh the start of the year prank was amazing. I swear we out-did ourselves. We made the ceiling of the Great Hall turn pink, and made it rain leprechaun gold. Then we had the stars rearrange themselves to say 'Marauders final year! Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs'. It was quite amazing, if I may say so myself. And then Dumbledore stood up and changed it to say 'Marauders final year! Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and (our 'respected' Head Boy) Prongs'. So all in all our start of the year prank went off pretty successfully. I haven't really done much about Quidditch; it's only our first day back. But I think I'm going to start a new training schedule._

_Head Girl? It's Lily Evans. Obviously. Did you know the Heads get their own dorm? So Lily and I are staying in a dorm together. It's got a common room and two bedrooms. That's right, BEDROOMS. Lily and I are actually talking now, without her yelling at me. I think we're actually friends. _

_Don't tease me about Lily. I will hex you through this letter. _

_Speaking of Lily, Jackie seems to really like her hair. She flew onto Lily's head and started to attack her hair. It was really quite funny. _

_I don't know about Christmas honestly. I want to come home. We'll see._

_Love, James_

He tied the letter onto Jackie's foot and Jackie flew out of the window. James walked over to the sofa and sat down, thinking of Lily. He did still like her as more than a friend, and obviously he still wanted to go out with her, but that wasn't what he was thinking about. He was thinking about Voldemort. What would he do if Voldemort did something to Lily? He was sure that Voldemort would send her a letter asking her to join him, and he was also sure that Lily would turn down the letter. Would Voldemort hurt her for turning it down? James knew the answer to that question, and it made him feel sick to his stomach. He couldn't imagine a world without Lily. She had been a major part of his life for so long.

He was snapped out of his reverie by Lily sitting down next to him, still in her Hogwarts robes, "I thought you were going to change?" he said, looking down at her robes.

"I was, but then I decided I wanted to take a shower so I came to talk to you," she said, shrugging.

"What took you so long to decide?" he said, smirking at her. It was a reasonable question; she had been up there for about 10 minutes.

Lily blushed, and looked away from James, "Thinking." James decided to let it drop. Lily hastily changed the subject, "How was Quidditch?" she asked.

"We didn't have practice," he said, running his hand through his hair, which was still damp, but somehow still managed to be messy.

"Then why were you in your Quidditch robes?" she asked curiously. James turned to look at her, and realized she actually wanted to know, which made him blush a little.

"I go out there to think usually. And the Quidditch robes are easier to fly in." Lily frowned. It sounded reasonable.

"I wish I had a place to go think," she said, and James turned to look at her, his face a question mark, "Well, Hestia goes to the Astronomy Tower to think, Alice likes to go to the Owlery, no I don't know why," she said in response to James' wrinkled nose; the Owlery smelt bad, "Gwenog goes out onto the Quidditch pitch, You go onto the Quidditch pitch," she shrugged, "I wish I had a place."

James watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and felt a smile form on his face, "I know a place. Go change into some muggle clothing," he said, gesturing to her spiral staircase. Lily frowned, and looked at James expression. He didn't seem to be teasing so she shrugged, and went up to her room. She pulled on the first muggle clothes, which turned out to be fitting jeans and a black V-neck, and walked down the stairs. James turned to look at her, and smiled, liking what she was wearing. She stopped in front of him, and looked down at his sweats.

"Don't you want to change?" she asked, looking down at his sweats, and he shrugged.

"I can't be bothered. We're taking the cloak anyway," he said, grinning at her.

"What cloak?" she asked curiously as James pulled out a shimmery cloak from his bag, which was by his desk.

"This cloak my dad gave to me on my eleventh birthday," he said, running the cloak through his fingers, "It's an invisibility cloak." Lily walked over to him, looking at the cloak, fascinated.

"A real invisibility cloak? Those are really rare!" she said, picking up an end of the cloak, feeling the supple material it was made out of. She didn't realize how close she was standing to James until she looked up to find his face only a couple inches from hers. She looked into his hazel eyes, and saw her own emerald eyes reflected in them, and smiled. James, surprised, smiled back. He pulled the cloak out of Lily's hands gently, and draped it over the two of them. Lily looked down at herself and felt an odd sensation as she saw nothing there, "This is weird," she said, looking down at her feet to see nothing there. James laughed.

"You get used to it. Let's go," he said, and started walking to the door. When they walked out of the door, Lily automatically felt nervous.

"I've never wondered the corridors at night," she whispered, looking around nervously, "what if we get caught?" she asked, looking up at James.

"Nobody can see us," he pointed out, "Plus, we're Head Boy and Girl. We don't have a curfew," he winked, and started walking, Lily keeping pace with him.

"Where exactly are we going?" she asked after a while, looking around.

"It's on this floor," he said, "But on the other side of the castle. You'll see." They walked in silence, Lily too nervous to speak. She had never broken curfew, or been out of her dorm at night, and the castle was eerie at night. It was almost pitch black, so Lily pulled her wand out of her pocket.

"Will anyone notice if I light my wand?" she whispered to James, who shook his head, "_Lumos,_" she said, and a little globe of light appeared on the end of her wand. She felt more relaxed now that she could see. James, sensing her tension, put his arm around her shoulder.

"Relax Lily. I'm here," he said, and led her to the other side of the castle. For some reason, Lily felt more relaxed.

"Where are we?" Lily asked, as James stopped in front of a wall.

"Shh," he whispered, walking back and forth in front of the wall, completely visible, having left Lily under the cloak. Lily gasped as a door appeared on the wall and James reached out a hand in her general direction. She took the cloak off and handed it to James, who then held her hand and pulled her inside.

Lily looked around and felt a smile on her face. There were bookshelves lining the walls and two armchairs in the middle of the room, along with a fireplace, and Gryffindor wall hangings. Lily looked at James, who was smiling at the expression on Lily's face.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking around.

"This is the Room of Requirment," James said, spreading his arms, "Also know as-"

"The come and go room," Lily finished for him, looking around in amazement, "I thought it was just a myth," she said to herself, walking around to look at the bookshelves, which had all her favorite books, muggle and magical, on them.

"What's Cinderella?" James asked, picking up a small book from one of the bookshelves."

"It's a muggle story for children," she said, walking over to him and taking the book from his hands, smiling down at the cover.

"It sounds like a disease," he said, scrunching his nose as he read the title. Lily laughed and put the book back on the shelf.

"Thank you," she said, smiling up at him. He smiled back and looked around the room.

"It's not much, but it's a quiet place, that only you and I will be able to access," he shrugged.

"How do you get in?" she asked, looking towards the door.

"It's quite simple actually," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, "All you do is get to the wall, walk back and forth three times thinking about the place you want to go, and then you open your eyes and ta-da!" Lily smiled and looked down at her feet.

"You alright Evans?" James asked, putting a finger under her chin, pulling her face up so that she was looking in his eyes. She nodded and took a step back.

"Let's go back alright?" she said, gesturing to the door, "I don't want to think anymore today." James smiled and pulled the cloak out of his pocket, but Lily shook her head, "Forget the cloak. If its my first time being out in the castle at night, I don't want to be hidden," she shrugged, "What's the point of being Head Girl if I cant get away with everything eh?" she said, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"I think I'm having a bad influence on you," James said smiling down at her. Lily rolled her eyes and grabbed James' hand.

"Let's go," and they walked back to the Heads dorm, hand in hand.

James and Lily walked down to breakfast together the next morning, and sat down with their friends.

"Where's Wormy?" James said, sitting down next to Sirius, whose face was stuffed with food. Lily gave Sirius a disgusted look and sat down next to Hestia, who was looking at Sirius with big eyes. She rolled her eyes.

"No idea," Remus said, his nose scrunched as he watched Sirius eat, "He was gone when we woke up."

"Really Sirius can you control your face?" Gwenog said, sitting down next to Remus, "That's disgusting." Lily laughed.

"Jalas Greworg?" Sirius said, looking up at Gwenog and giving her a smile, causing her to scrunch her nose.

"That was 'Jealous Gwenog?' incase nobody got that," James said, as Alice sat down on the other side of Hestia. Alice looked at Sirius, and turned to Gwenog.

"Don't be a hypocrite G. That's what you look like a dinner." Lily turned to see a slightly irritated Alice and frowned.

"Alice?" she said quietly. Alice looked up at Lily and Lily saw there were tears in her eyes, "Alice what's wrong?"

The boys, Hestia and Gwenog all turned to look at Alice, who looked up at the ceiling, a tear leaking out of her left eye. Lily, realizing Alice wasn't going to say anything in front of the boys, stood up and walked over to Alice. She held out her hand and Alice sighed and took it. The two girls walked out of the Great Hall.

Frank, sitting down next to Hestia in Lily's recently vacated seat, looked over at Lily and Alice, "What's wrong with Alice?" James looked at Frank's genuinely worried expression, and recognized it as the expression on his face whenever he thought Lily was hurt.

"We don't know," Sirius said, looking after the two girls. Frank looked around helplessly and then drooped his shoulders. Gwenog, seeming to notice what James had, walked over to sit on the other side of Frank and rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm sure its nothing," she said, and Frank turned to give her a small smile.

"Alice what's wrong?" Lily asked quietly, sitting on the stairs in the Entrance Hall, which lead to Ravenclaw Tower. Alice sat down next to Lily and leaned on her shoulder, bursting into tears. Lily put her arms around Alice and muttered soothing words to her. Once Alice could, she pulled out a letter from her robes and handed it to Lily, continuing to cry into Lily's hair. Lily kept one arm around her friends' shoulders, and held the letter in the other.

_Alice,_

_I am so sorry to inform you that your father has been killed in an attack by the Death Eaters. He was a great man, who fought valiantly, and I will deeply miss him. _

_Please come to my office after breakfast, and I will floo you home to attend his funeral. You may stay as long as you want to._

_My deepest apologies, may he rest in peace,_

_Professor Dumbledore_

Lily sat frozen, not wanting to believe what she was reading. She had met Alice's father on a number of occasions. She had even stayed with them, along with Hestia and Gwenog, during the Christmas of fourth year. She felt tears leak out of her eyes and hugged Alice tighter, the girls crying together.

"Go," Lily managed to choke out, "Go to Dumbledore's. I'll tell them what happened," she said quietly, and hugged Alice one more time, "Do you want me to come with you to Dumbledore?" Alice shook her head, wiping at her eyes. Lily held her friend for a few minutes, and then watched as Alice walked up the stairs.

Lily turned around and walked back into the Great Hall, tears still leaking down her face. James turned around as Lily entered the hall, and stood up when he realized she was crying. He walked over to her and looked down at her worriedly. She held the letter, which Alice had left with her, towards James and he took it.

Lily watched as his face paled and he turned up, his shocked hazel eyes meeting Lily's watery green ones. Lily burst into tears again, and James pulled her into a hug. The whole hall was now watching the Head Boy and Head Girl. Sirius, Remus, Gwenog, Hestia and Frank stood up and walked over to them.

"James, move Lily," Remus said gently, as the whole student body turned curious eyes towards them. James, realizing what Remus meant, led Lily a sobbing Lily from the Great Hall. Hestia and Gwenog's eyes had filled with tears as they watched Lily cry. She was the strong one, and they had rarely seen her cry; the only other time they had seen her cry was after Severus had called her a mudblood.

Lily sat in a crumpled, crying heap on the stairs she and Alice had been sitting on, and James pulled her into his lap. She cried into his shoulder, and he rubbed circles on her back. He handed the letter to Remus, Sirius reading over his shoulder, and watched as his friends' faces drained of blood as they finished reading the letter. Unable to say anything, Remus handed the letter to Gwenog. Gwenog let out a groan, and as her eyes started to water, Remus put his arm around her shoulders.

Hestia, however, flew into a rage after she finished reading the letter, "HOW DARE THEY!" she screamed, stomping her foot. Lily snapped her head up at the noise, her face wet with tears, "THEY CANT DO THIS!"

Lily tried to get up, and James, realizing what she wanted, stood up, helping her up. Frank was leaning against the wall, staring at the letter, not knowing what to do. Lily walked slowly over to Hestia.

"Hest," she said quietly, but Hestia ignored her.

"NO LILY! THIS IS UNFAIR!" she screamed, "HE DIDN'T DESERVE THIS!" she said, tears staring to stream down her face. Lily nodded, not realizing her tears had started again, "He was so sw-sweet, and he let us s-stay over, and came to say hi at Kings Cross, and-and," but Hestia couldn't go any further. To everyone's surprise, Sirius walked over to Hestia, pushing Lily out of the way, and hugged her. Sirius, who usually ran in a different direction when a girl started crying, Sirius, who didn't seem to have a sensitive side, Sirius, who everyone could count on to try and make people laugh, pulled Hestia into a hug and let her cry into his chest.

"Where's Alice?" Frank said in a choked voice. Lily turned around to look at him.

"She went to Dumbledore to go home," Lily said looking up the stairs which Alice had gone on. Frank started running up the stairs, "Frank where are you going?" she yelled after him. Frank didn't respond so Lily followed after him, and she heard James run after her.

Frank ran all the way to Dumbledores office, and Lily, panting, clutching at a stitch in her side, followed. James, who was breathing hard, jogged over to the statue in front of Dumbledores office and said the password. Frank looked over at him, and nodded, and the three of them went up the staircase. Frank pushed the door open to see Alice standing in the fireplace, holding a handful of Floo powder. Alice and Dumbledore's heads snapped around as the door flew open and Frank, James and Lily walked in.

"Alice," Frank said, and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug. Dumbledore looked at Frank and Alice, a small smile on his face, and then turned to Lily and James, who were looking at Frank and Alice. He turned back to Frank and Alice and cleared his throat.

"Alice, do you want Mr. Longbottom to accompany you?" Alice turned to look at Dumbledore with wide eyes.

"Is he allowed?" she asked, her voice sounding strangled from crying.

"Well if he wasn't allowed I wouldn't have just offered," Dumbledore said, smiling sweetly at Alice, who smiled, "Mr. Longbottom, do you want to accompany her?" Frank nodded at Dumbledore, "Very well, take some powder," he said, offering him a pot of Floo powder. Frank smiled at Dumbledore gratefully, and then turned to Lily and James.

"We'll tell everyone," James said, and smiled. Alice walked over to Lily and hugged her.

"I'll see you in a few days," Lily said, stroking Alice's hair, "Come back when you're ready." Alice squeezed Lily tighter, smiled at James, and walked into the fireplace.

There was a flash of green light and the two of them were gone. Dumbledore pulled off his glasses to wipe his eyes, and then turned to Lily and James.

"Love is the only way to win this war," he said, gesturing to the fireplace, referring to letting Frank go along. Lily smiled at Dumbledore who gave her a smile back, "Alice's father was a good friend of mine, and he worked in the Order so we were working together on a number of occasions. He was a great man and did not deserve this fate."

"Order?" Lily asked curiously, looking Dumbledore. Dumbledore sighed and sank down into his seat.

"It's about time I tell you about the Order of the Phoenix. James, I'm sure you know about it?" he said, turning to James, who nodded. Dumbledore nodded then turned to Lily, "The Order of the Phoenix is an organization set on defeating Voldemort," he said, "Alice's father was doing something for the Order when he was killed."

"Anyway, I have said too much. You may be excused from all your classes today, as well as your friends Ms. Jones, Ms. Jones, Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin," he said, and stood up, "I must go inform the teachers about the situation."

Lily and James turned, exiting the room, and walked back to the Entrance Hall, where their friends were still standing. They turned as they saw the two of them approach and Hestia ran over to Lily.

"What's going on?"

"Frank went with Alice to the funeral," Lily said, smiling at her, "And Dumbledore excused all of us from our classes today."

"Are you going to class?" Gwenog said, walking over to them.

"I am," Lily said, and Gwenog smirked.

"Of course you are." Lily rolled her eyes.

"It's the second day back!" she said, exasperated, much to the amusement of everyone, "I'm not going to miss my first NEWT day of any of my classes."

"Lily has a point," Remus said, walking over to them, "I'm going to go to class." Lily smiled up at him and, the two of them turned around to head to their first class of the day, followed by James, Sirius, Hestia and Gwenog; Herbology.

**Hey guys. Sorry about the sudden Death Eater activity, but the story needed something to remind the characters of Voldemort. Hope you're liking the story. If you have any suggestions don't hesitate to post them in the reviews.**

**(:**


	6. Unexpected Visits

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the storyline**

_**Previously:**_

_Alice, I am so sorry to inform you that your father has been killed in an attack by the Death Eaters. He was a great man, who fought valiantly, and I will deeply miss him._

_Frank went with Alice to the funeral_

_James showed Lily a new place she could go to think._

Lily woke up the next day to the sound of tapping on her window. She got up and pushed the window open. Jackie flew into her room, dropped a letter on her bed, and sat in the corner, its eyes on Lily's hair. Lily wiped her eyes, and walked over to the letter.

"This probably isn't mine," she said to the owl, "It's for James. He's over there," she said, pointing in the direction of James' room. The owl hooted and flew out of the window and Lily groaned. She was going to have to hand deliver the note to James.

She opened the door to her room, wearing her pajamas, and wobbled down the spiral staircase. She climbed up the staircase to James' room and threw open the door, irritated. James sat up at the bang, reaching for his glasses. He put them on and looked to see Lily holding a letter out to him.

"Why are you up so early?" he said, getting out of bed, wearing nothing but his boxers. James didn't miss the way Lily's eyes flickered over his bare chest and controlled a smirk. He walked over to her, not bothering to put on a shirt.

"Your owl woke me up," she said grumpily, handing the letter to him. James chuckled and took the letter from Lily, "What time is it?" she whined. James rolled his eyes and walked over to his dresser to look at his watch.

"It's 4:30," he said, and turned to see Lily's shocked expression.

"What the hell!" she said, stomping her foot. James bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. Lily walked over to James bed and lay down, pulling the covers over herself.

"Uh…Lily?" James asked incredulously.

"I'm not walking all the way back there," she said grumpily into James pillow and he laughed. He pushed aside the covers and Lily screamed, "what are you doing?" she asked, as he got into the bed, pulling the covers over himself.

"It's my bed Evans," he said, lying down on the other side of the bed.

"I don't like this," she hissed, but didn't move.

"Then leave," he said, shrugging.

"You're so irritating," she muttered into the pillow and James laughed, "I'm going to sleep," she announced.

"Okay," James said. He looked at the letter, which was still in his hands. He opened the envelope and two pieces of parchment fell out. James frowned and picked up the first one, which was addressed to him. He picked up the second one and blinked in shock. It was addressed to Lily. He looked at the handwriting on Lily's letter and saw that it was his mother's handwriting, "Uh Lily?" he said and heard a groan, "this one's for you."

Lily sat up, her hair everywhere, and turned to look at James, who was holding her letter out to her. She sighed and grabbed the letter, "Why am I getting letters from your family?" she asked, looking down at the letter, which was in unfamiliar handwriting. James shrugged, and tried to read the Lily's letter but she snatched it away so he wouldn't be able to read it, "Don't read my letter," she said grumpily, turning so that she was leaning her shoulder against the headboard, and so that James could see the back of the letter.

_Dear Lily,_

_Congratulations on becoming Head Girl! James told us about it in his last letter. We haven't actually met; my name is Emily, Emily Potter, James' mum. I have heard a lot about you from James, and I want to apologize formally for the multitude of times my son has asked you out. _

Lily laughed reading that last line, and James looked up curiously. Lily shook her head and continued reading, irritating James, who wanted to know what his mother was saying to Lily.

_Anyway, I feel like I know you already so you'll have to forgive me if I am too pushy. As I am apologizing on James' behalf already, I also want to apologize for the absolute slob my son can be. James has told us that you are living together, that is to say, in the same dorm, and I want to warn you about walking into his room, which you probably have done already seeing as you probably thought this letter was meant for James. _

_I hope you're having a wonderful year so far, and I hope to hear from you. _

_Love, Emily_

Lily smiled down at the piece of parchment. It was incredibly nice of James' mum to send a letter to her. She looked around James room, looking for evidence that he was a slob, as his mother had said, but found herself in a very tidy room. She looked up at James, who was reading the letter, which, judging by the handwriting, Lily assumed was from his father. There was a small crease in between his eyebrows as he read the letter, which, Lily noticed, was the same as it was when he was concentrating. She watched as James smiled at certain parts of the letter, and felt her stomach swoop.

James looked up at her, feeling her eyes on him, and smiled, causing her stomach to swoop again. _What's happening? _Lily panicked, looking down at her stomach to make sure everything was okay. James looked down to see what Lily was looking at, and Lily pulled the blanket up self-consciously. James looked up to meet Lily's eyes, and Lily felt her heart beat speed up. Since when did looking at James Potter make her heart speed up?

Lily stood up suddenly and walked out of the room. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see James, standing too close to her, causing her to fall down the stairs. James ran down and picked her up, carrying her to the sofa.

"Are you alright?" he said, placing her on the sofa and touching her forehead. Lily smacked his hand away, feeling a blush creep up under her cheeks.

"I'm fine," she said awkwardly, looking anywhere but at him.

"If you're fine, why are you acting weird?" he asked, looking down at her.

"I'm not acting weird," she said in a high-pitched voice, and James rose his eyebrows, "I'm going for a shower," she said, standing up quickly. James hadn't moved so Lily found herself a couple of centimeters away from James's chest. James caught her elbows to steady her and looked down at her, feeling his own heart rate speed up. Damn Evans for having such an effect on him.

Lily looked up at James and found herself lost in his eyes. She shook her head, and walked around him towards the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. James exhaled and flopped down onto the couch.

Lily looked around the gargantuan bathroom and started to undress, getting ready for a shower, "Maybe you just need a shower to clear your head," she said to herself, "It's the lack of sleep that is making you weird," she told herself firmly, stepping into the shower, turning the water on. The warm water made her feel better, and she felt her heart rate slow down.

When she was done with her shower, Lily looked around, and realized she had forgotten to get her clothes from upstairs. She groaned and wrapped the towel around herself. She picked up her nightclothes and pushed the door of the bathroom open. She screamed when she saw four boys in the common room.

The boys' heads snapped up as Lily screamed, and Lily saw all four faces redden. Peter turned away quickly, but Sirius, Remus and James didn't. Lily felt her face redden. She was wearing nothing but a small towel, standing in a room of boys. She put her hand on the towel, to make sure it didn't fall, and ran up the stairs to her room. She shut the door behind her and started to laugh.

Downstairs, James, Sirius and Remus, who had followed Lily up the stairs, looked at each other, all of them red in the face, and started to laugh.

"Well that doesn't happen every day," Remus chuckled, and fell onto one of the armchairs.

"Isn't that disappointing?" Sirius said in response to Remus' comment, and sat next to James, "Thank you Prongs," he said, patting James on the shoulder. James turned to look at Sirius, eyebrows raised

"For what?"

"For becoming Head Boy. If you hadn't become Head Boy I would have never seen that," he winked at James, who pounced on Sirius.

Remus and Peter laughed as James, who was stronger that Sirius, no matter what Sirius said, wrestled Sirius.

"Wow Prongs, so sensitive," Sirius laughed, pushing James off of him, "If I'm correct, it's because I said that about your dear Evans am I right?" Peter, Remus and Sirius laughed as James' face turned red.

"Shut up," James said, looking at the spiral staircase Lily had ran up, "What are you doing here so early anyway?" he asked, looking down at his watch, which he had put on after Lily had asked him for the time.

"We woke up because Wormy was whining in his sleep," Sirius said, and Peter blushed.

"I-I wasn't whining," he said defiantly, his face turning even redder. Sirius opened his mouth to respond but James gave him a look, as if to tell him to be quiet.

"Isn't it full moon today?" James asked, looking at Remus, who nodded sadly.

"Excellent!" Sirius said, sitting up.

"For you," Remus said quietly. James looked at his friend more closely, and saw the dark circles under his eyes, and how his face looked sallower than it usually did. James felt bad that his friend had to go through this every month. Remus suffered for a few days every month because of his 'furry little problem'. Sirius, who hated that his friend had to go through this as well, tried to cheer up the atmosphere.

"At least you have us Moony!" he said happily, gesturing to himself, James and Peter. Remus rolled his eyes, but James could see that he was grateful to have the three of them.

There was a noise and they turned to see Lily standing awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in black pants and a red shirt. Lily walked over to them, and, determinedly not looking at any them, bent over to pick up the letter from James' mother, which was lying on the coffee table. The four boys watched her as she turned around, her hair wet hair tied up, and walked over to her desk, pulling out a parchment and quill.

Sirius snickered and Lily turned red, but resolutely continued to ignore them, and begun to reply to James's mum.

_Mrs. Potter,_

_Thank you so much for your congratulations! I was so excited when I received my letter from Professor Dumbledore telling me I had become Head Girl. It's nice to hear from you. I'm Lily Evans, which, assuming from the rest of your letter, you already knew, but I still feel as if I should introduce myself. _

_I accept your apologies graciously, ha-ha. He's better this year; for starters he hasn't asked me out yet, which is actually slightly shocking. Last year he asked me out on the Hogwarts Express on the way to Hogwarts. He's a slob? When I walked into his room it was probably tidier than my own, maybe it's a progressive thing? Ha-ha. _

_Living with James has been an, experience. I'm not used to it. This morning, I was walking out of the bathroom after a shower (there's only one bathroom, and its downstairs between our two staircases) and I opened the door to see James, Sirius, Remus and Peter sitting there…pretty awkward, and I was wearing nothing but a towel. I do not know why I am telling you this. I apologize if I'm saying too much._

_Thank you so much for writing to me, it was so nice to 'meet' you,_

_Lily_

She stood up and walked up the spiral staircase to her room, leaving the letter on the desk. James, who had been watching Lily as the boys discussed the plans for that night quietly, watched her climb the stairs, and turned back to the conversation. He couldn't stop thinking about Lily in her towel, which, he had to admit, was quite inappropriate of him, but he couldn't help himself.

"Prongs?" James turned to see the other three Marauders looking at him.

"Sorry what was that?" he said, scratching his head. While Lily had been in the shower, he had changed into his Hogwarts robes and had walked downstairs to find his friends sitting there.

"We were asking what you were going to tell Evans, as you wont be coming back tonight?" Peter asked, looking towards Lily's staircase to make sure she wasn't there.

"I haven't thought about that," James said, running his hand through his hair, "What should I tell her?" he asked, looking up at Remus, who shrugged.

"Tell her Moony has to go visit a sick aunt, and that I don't like being left with Wormy in a dorm," Sirius said, looking apologetically at Peter who smiled.

"Alright," James said. He heard footsteps and turned to see Lily running down the stairs in her Hogwarts robes, her hair still tied up. She grabbed the letter and headed towards the door, "Lils where are you going?" James asked, looking at her. He saw Lily's blush and smirked, realizing she was probably more embarrassed about the towel situation than they were.

"Owlery," she said, gesturing to the letter in her hand.

"I'll come with you," he said, standing up. He walked over to Lily who shook her head.

"You don't have to, I think I can make it there by myself." James shrugged and pulled a letter out of his pocket, his reply to his father.

"I have to go post this, and as you scared Jackie off, I'm going to need another owl," he said, and grinned at her. Lily felt her stomach flip again and frowned. Why was her stomach flipping? Lily rolled her eyes at James' comment.

"I didn't scare your owl off," she said, rolling her eyes, and James' grin widened, "And what about your friends who don't seem to have their own dorm?" she said, nodding towards Sirius, Remus and Peter, who pretended to look offended.

"Whatever does that mean Lily?" Remus asked, putting a hand on his chest.

"I think she's just upset because we saw her in an teeny-weeny towel," Sirius said, waggling his eyebrows at Lily, who blushed furiously. James turned towards Sirius and glared at him, but Sirius only winked at Lily, who blushed even harder.

"I'm going to go now," Lily said, turning around and walking out of the dorm, and Sirius erupted in laughter, Peter and Remus joining in. James grinned and followed Lily out of the dorm, yelling 'see you later' over his shoulder to his friends.

"Lils!" he yelled, catching up with her. He stopped next to her and she looked up at him, blushed, and looked away, "If it makes you feel better, you didn't look bad in that towel," he said, winking at her.

Lily gasped and smacked James in the arm, trying not to laugh, "Shut up Potter. We never speak of that again," she said with finality. James laughed and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Aw Lils are you embarrassed?" he teased and Lily laughed. She pulled herself out from under James's arm, not wanting him to realize how much her heart had sped up when he had touched her.

"What did my mother want by the way?" he asked, gesturing to the letter in her hand.

"She apologized on behalf of you," she said, grinning. James felt his stomach drop.

"What did she apologize for?" he asked, turning nervously to Lily.

"You being a slob, you asking me out," she said, looking up to wink at him, and James felt his own hear rate speed up.

"I am not a slob!" he yelled, causing Lily to laugh.

"Well, I said your room was pretty tidy, but we'll see," she said, laughing. James smiled, appreciating that she had dropped the other thing his mother had apologized for.

"I'm going to kill her," he muttered and Lily smiled.

"I like your mother. Don't kill her." James laughed.

"Alright Evans, because you like her I will not kill her."

"Thanks," Lily said, smiling down at the letter, "What did your dad say?"

"How did you know it was my dad?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"The handwriting," she said matter-of-factly, "It's messy and looks like yours."

"My handwriting isn't messy," James said defensively, and Lily snorted, "It isn't!" he insisted, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Okay Potter. Your handwriting is not messy," she said.

"I know," he said triumphantly, and Lily's face split into a smile. They reached the Owlery and Lily scrunched her nose.

"Ugh, it smells so bad in here," she said, and walked carefully, making sure not to step on any of the owl droppings, which lined the floor. She pointed to an owl, and it flew down, landing on the bar next to the window, and held its leg out. Lily held her hand out to James, for him to hand her his letter, but James reached around her, grabbed her letter, and tied both of them to the owl. He picked it up and let it fly out of the window, and turned back to see Lily standing with her arms crossed.

"I could have done that," she said, irritated, and turned around. James smiled; Lily hated having things done for her.

"Yes but I don't think you could have done it as well as I did," he shrugged, and Lily smacked him in the arm, trying, and failing to control her smile. They walked down the stairs from the Owlery together, and bumped into four Slytherins, among them, Severus.

"Where do you think you're going Potter?" The one in front, Dolohov, sneered, blocking the stairwell.

"Yeah Potter," Avery said, appearing next to Lily. James looked at Avery, who was standing too close to Lily for his liking.

"Move," James said, and Lily looked at him to see James, and was shocked to see him wearing an expression she had only seen once before, when Severus had called her a mudblood.

"Not likely Potter," Mulciber said, standing next to Dolohov with his arms crossed, "you and the mudblood aren't going anywhere," he said, sneering at Lily, who glared at him.

"Take that back," James growled, taking a step down towards Mulciber, but Lily grabbed his sleeve.

"Not worth it," Lily said quietly. James turned to look at her and saw anger in her eyes as she glared at Mulciber. He hadn't seen that anger, and felt thankful that she had never been angry enough to glare at him like that.

"Severus, why aren't you saying anything?" Avery said from beside Lily. He was looking at Lily in a way that made James' stomach curl. He took a step back up and pulled Lily closer to him.

"Yeah Severus, say something to the mudblood," Dolohov said, turning to look at Severus. James took his chance and started to make his way to Dolohov, but all of a sudden, James was blasted back, falling with a thump on the Owlery floor. Lily screamed and turned to see Avery with his wand drawn, standing too close to her for comfort.

"Aw, now Potter can't save his mudblood," Avery said, taking a step closer to Lily. Lily stood her ground and turned to look at Severus, who was staring at them with large eyes. Severus met Lily's eyes, and saw the hatred in them.

"Avery," Severus said, and the three Slytherins turned to look at him. Severus took a breath, and looked back at Lily apologetically before continuing, "if you hurt her then you'll get in trouble," he said.

"Hurt who Severus?" Mulciber said, sneering at Severus, "all I see is a mudblood."

"Don't call her that," James said, reappearing at Lily's side, blood on his arm. Lily looked down to see a large cut on James' bicep.

"Aw, Potty's getting protective," said Mulciber, drawing his wand and pointing it at James. Avery took a step closer to Lily, and James pulled her closer to him, "C'mon Potter. She's just a mudblood," he said, pointing his wand at Lily. Lily felt James stiffen and she stepped on his foot.

"Move," she said, standing up straight, drawing her wand. Avery backed up from Lily, his fearful eyes on her wand. Everyone knew that Lily was dangerous with a wand, especially Avery, who had been cursed by Lily after cursing Hestia. Dolohov and Mulciber started to laugh.

"I'm not scared of a mudblood," they said, both of them pointing their wands at her. James felt irritated; he had forgotten his wand in the Heads dorm. He turned to look at Snape, who was standing, staring at Lily with wide regretful eyes. Snape's gaze moved to James as he felt his eyes on him, and James saw fear in Snape's eyes. He inclined his head a little to Lily, as if to beg James to help her, and James felt his stomach turn. Severus Snape was in love with Lily Evans.

James turned to Lily, who was standing there against three opponents, as Avery had drawn his wand. The three Slytherins looked towards Severus, and Lily watched as Severus drew his wand and pointed it at Lily. James saw hurt flicker across Lily's expression as Snape pointed his wand at her. Avery, Mulciber and Dolohov smiled, satisfied, and turned back to Lily.

"You're not going to win mudblood. There's four of us and only one of you," Dolohov sneered.

"She's a mudblood, so technically there's only the four of us standing here across from filth," Mulciber sneered.

"Mudblood thinks she can beat us?" Avery said, smiling dangerously at Lily. James felt sick to his stomach as he saw Lily standing there by herself, and wished he had his wand. The three Slytherins turned to look at Severus, waiting for him to insult Lily.

"Mudblood," Severus said, looking at Lily. Lily froze, and tears blurred her vision. That was twice now that Severus Snape had called her a mudblood. James was outraged. He didn't approve of anything hurting her, especially when it was one of her friends. He watched as Lily's face twisted with rage, and waved her wand. There was a bang and Mulciber, Avery and Dolohov were thrown, over their heads, into the Owlery. Severus was standing by himself, looking at Lily. Lily stood there, glaring at him, her wand pointed at his face, "Lily, I'm sorry," Severus said quietly, looking at her.

"That's mudblood to you Snivellus," she sneered and James watched Snape's face crumple. There was a bang and James saw Snape scream in pain, clutching at his face, where Lily had sent a stinging jinx. Without another word, or glance at Severus, Lily walked around him and down the stairs, her vision blurry. James looked down at Snape, who was crying. Snape looked up to see James standing there and rubbed his eyes.

"Don't hurt her," Severus said quietly, "or I'll kill you." James nodded and held out his hand, and Snape shook it, then walked around James to the Owlery, dabbing at his eyes.

James found Lily at the bottom of the stairs, sitting on the floor, a shining doe running around her. He sat down next to her and looked at the doe.

"Your patronus is a doe?" he said, looking at the shining doe, not wanting to bring up the scene with the Slytherins. Lily turned to look at James, and James saw her face was wet.

"Yes, why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at James.

"I'll show you when I have a wand," James said, "I feel so stupid!" he growled at himself, running a hand through his hair, "I usually have my wand with me all the time and today I didn't and they were going to hurt you," he said the last few words quietly, and looked down at the floor. Lily put her hand on James's knee and rubbed circles with her thumb. James looked up at her.

"It's alright," she said quietly. James lifted up his hand to wipe away a tear that had just escaped Lily's eye with his thumb. Lily looked into James's eye and, out of the corner of his eye, James saw Lily's doe disappear.

Lily cleared her throat and turned away from James. She stood up and put her wand in her robes as James stood up, dusting off his robes from the back, "Breakfast?" he asked with a smile, and Lily chuckled.

"Breakfast!" she yelled, in a dead on imitation of Sirius, and James laughed.

"Ah Padfoot, I didn't realize you had turned into a girl," he said, ruffling Lily's still tied up hair. Lily laughed and pulled her hair-tie out, causing her hair to cascade down her back. James caught a whiff of her shampoo, "Orchids?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at Lily.

"Yes orchids, they smell good," she shrugged.

"I would've expected you to smell like lilies," he smirked, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I have a question," Lily said suddenly, when they had reached the Entrance Hall. She was shocked to see that people were only starting to make their way down for breakfast. She felt as if it was afternoon already.

"Yes Orchid," James said, turning to Lily who rolled her eyes.

"Two things actually," she said, smiling guiltily up at James, "Firstly, why do you call each other, well, what you do?" James's smile faltered and he thought fast, trying to make something up; he couldn't just tell Lily that Sirius, Peter and himself were unregistered Animagi, and that Remus was a werewolf.

"Uh, well…" he began.

"I mean, I understand Remus' nickname, but why are you Prongs? And why is Sirius Padfoot? And, for the love of Merlin, Wormtail?" James chuckled.

"Its, uh, because of, uh, our patronusses," he said quickly, running his hand through his hair, proud of himself, for his answer.

"Oh," Lily said, and James exhaled, relieved, that she had believed him. It wasn't as if he'd lied, exactly, because those were their patronusses, but that wasn't why they called each other what they did. Then James frowned, "What did you mean by you 'understand Remus' nickname'? he said, looking down at Lily.

"Well, it's not that hard to piece together," she said. James put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her, and turned her to face him.

"Lily, what do you know?" James said, his voice shaking.

"I know about Remus', well, situation," she said, "I mean, he looks sick every full moon, and then he's absent from school the next day. His situation really isn't so hard to figure out," she said, looking up at James.

"You know about his furry little problem?" he asked incredulously, and Lily nodded.

"I've known since fifth year," she shrugged, "He didn't tell me, but if you think about it, it's really not so hard to piece together. And the fact that you guys call him Moony really doesn't make it hard to figure out." James shook his head.

"You're the only one who knows right? You haven't told Hestia, Gwenog and Alice?" Lily shook her head before he had finished.

"It's not my secret to tell," she said. James smiled down at her, never having liked her as much as he did at that moment. Then he felt his stomach clench as he thought about what to tell her about his absence that night.

"Uh, regarding full moons," he said nervously, running his hand through his hair, "I'm not going to be at the dorm every full moon night," he said, looking anywhere but at Lily, who frowned.

"Why?"

"Well, Pad-Sirius doesn't like being alone with W-Peter, and since Moony, I mean Remus, isn't there, he's going to be stuck with Pete all night," he said pathetically, and James looked at Lily who was smiling.

"I always knew Black was the baby," she said, laughing, "Well that makes sense. Oh and you can call them by their nicknames around me," she added, smiling at James, who smiled back gratefully. He had cleared up his schedule for every full moon and he and Lily were closer than ever. What was there to not smile about?

Moony had been taken down to the shrieking shack a half hour ago, and the other Marauders were looking at the map, waiting until they saw McGonagall's footprints back in her office. James wasn't concentrating on the map, but was thinking about Lily, who was alone in the Heads dorm. He wondered what she was doing. _Homework probably, _James thought to himself, and chuckled.

"What are you laughing at Prongs?" Peter asked from across the room where he was finishing the Transfiguration essay that was to be turned in the next day. James was glad Lily had made him finish it the day it was assigned.

"Nothing," James said looking back at the map. McGonagall was back in her office, "Alright let's go," James said, closing the map and putting it in his robes. He pulled the invisibility cloak out of his robes and opened it up. Peter and Sirius stood up and the three of them squished under the cloak.

"I think we're getting too big for this," Sirius said as he looked down to see his legs sticking out of thin air.

"Maybe Wormtail should transform so we're covered?" James said, turning to Peter who sighed and stepped out from under the cloak, which fell down to cover both James and Sirius from head to toe. When James looked over to where Peter was standing, it was to see a rat on the floor.

"Let's go," Sirius said, walking towards the door. He opened it and stepped back so Peter could slip out, before following, James at his side. Peter ran down stairs, James and Sirius right behind him. James heard screams and looked around to see girls jumping up on tables and couches, pointing at Peter.

"So much for Gryffindor courage," Sirius smirked, looking at a bunch of sixth year guys who were screaming and were sitting up on a table, keeping their feet off the floor. James laughed and walked to the portrait hole. The portrait hole opened and James gasped as he saw Lily walk in. They slipped past her, and James found himself pressed up against Lily for a few seconds, his heart rate speeding up. They kept walking and James turned around to see Lily looking back as she felt something push by her. He saw her frown, and realized she knew about the invisibility cloak. He held his breath until he saw her shrug and turn around.

"How's that going with you and Evans?" Sirius said, looking at James. James shrugged, "You going to ask her to Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked. James looked up at Sirius.

"I hadn't thought of that. When is the next Hogsmeade visit?"

"Couple of weeks," Sirius said, smiling cheekily at James, "So I see you still like her?" James mock punched Sirius in the shoulder, causing Sirius to laugh. They walked out across the garden towards the Whomping Willow, "Ah I cant see Wormy," Sirius said, scanning the grass. James saw something move in the grass and pointed, and Sirius relaxed. Sirius and James stopped by the Whomping Willow, and when it froze, they ran into the tunnel. The boys pulled off their robes and left them in the tunnel, and James put the cloak carefully inside his robes before hanging them up.

They heard a howl in the distance and James saw Sirius smile in excitement, "Let's do this." They transformed, and then the dog, stag and rat made their way up the tunnels towards the howls. In the excitement, James' mind slipped away from Lily.

Lily looked out of the window from the Heads dorm. She had just finished all of her work, including a nasty 3ft. essay for potions. Lily flopped down onto her favorite armchair, all her work done, bored. She hadn't realized how much James had been distracting her for the past few days they had been at Hogwarts. She stood up and walked over to her staircase. She looked around and spotted a letter on James' desk. She walked over to it and picked it up, recognizing James's fathers' handwriting. Curiously, she picked up the letter, and began to read.

_James,_

_I'm glad you're Head Boy, but don't abuse your power. I don't want to have you graduate without that badge. I need to frame it. Your mother is not glaring anymore; she's busy writing a letter to Merlin knows whom._

_I can't believe you managed to turn the ceiling pink! That is fantastic! For some odd reason I'm proud of you. And Dumbledore played along? That's even better, but I must say he is an odd man. Well, even if it is only the first week back, please focus on your studies, and Quidditch. I was Quidditch Captain remember? Not that you'll ever be better than me, but I still want you to try. _

_Lily? The love of your life is staying in the same dorm as you? Don't do anything I wouldn't. You're actually talking? Even after you've probably asked her out already? She must have been hit with a powerful Confundus charm, which made her friends with you. Just kidding son, congratulations on your newfound friendship with her. Don't blow it. You wont be able to hex me through this letter. Auror remember? My house is protected *__laughs evilly*_

_Jackie attacked Lily's hair? That's hilarious! Not for Lily though. Yikes. Well I doubt Jackie __has __ever seen red hair. Maybe that's why she likes Lily's hair._

_I really hope you can come home from Christmas. You can bring everyone, even Lily. Especially Lily actually, I would love to meet her. We have to use your baby pictures for something._

_Love, Dad (Mum stopped talking to you. I think she's writing to Lily)_

Lily laughed as she finished the letter. Mr. Potter was a lot like James. She ran her hand through her hair, a habit she seemed to have picked up from James, and put the letter down. James had told his parents he liked her?

She turned and looked at James' staircase. She looked around to make sure no one was looking, and climbed the stairs. She pushed the door open and saw that he hadn't made his bed. She shook her head and pointed her wand at it, straightening out the covers. She walked over to his dresser, and looked at what was on it.

She saw James' wallet lying on top of the dresser and picked it up. Inside, was a picture of a girl, which was moving, as it was a wizard picture. The girl was laughing at the camera, and kept trying to cover her face. She turned it to the side and saw that the girl had the same hazel eyes that James did. She didn't know James had a sister. She pulled out the picture to get a closer look, and saw a picture of the girl, James, and James' parents smiling up at her. She watched as James and his father ran their hands through their identically messy hair simultaneously and smiled. The James in the picture ruffled the girl's hair and the girl slapped his hand away, turning to glare at him. Emily Potter rolled her eyes and ruffled James' hair with a smile, causing James to yell out and run his hand through his hair, attempting to fix it.

Lily started to put the picture of the girl back into James' wallet and saw something written on the back. She turned it over and read a single word. 'Alissa'. Lily turned the picture over to see the girl; she looked about 11 years old. Why wasn't she at Hogwarts?

She heard a noise and turned around to see James standing in the doorway, a cut on his face. She rushed over to him and pulled her wand out. She pointed it at the cut and slowly the cut healed. She led him over to the bed and pushed him down.

"Are you alright?" she said quietly. James nodded and looked up at her.

"Why are you still awake? What are you doing in here?" he asked.

"I was exploring," she said, rolling her eyes, "And why? What time is it?"

"Exploring what?" he asked, looking towards his dresser where she had been standing, "Oh and it's about 1 in the morning."

"That late!" Lily screamed, ignoring James' first question. James nodded and Lily stood up, and started to leave the room.

"Lily wait," said James, and she turned around. James stood up and walked to her, "Ask." She looked at him and frowned.

"Ask what?"

"I know what you want to ask," he said, gesturing towards his wallet, which was lying open, the picture of Alissa on the dresser.

"Oh, Alissa," she said, looking down at the floor guiltily, "Sorry, I was curious," she said, looking up at James who grinned and shook his head.

"It's fine. Do you want to know about her?" he asked quietly, and Lily nodded.

"Why isn't she at Hogwarts?" she asked curiously, and James closed his eyes. He walked over to the dresser, put the picture back inside his wallet and turned around.

"Downstairs?" he suggested, gesturing to the door. Lily nodded and walked out. James smiled to himself; Lily Evans was curious enough about him to go exploring in his room. Downstairs, Lily flopped down onto the armchair, and James sat on the sofa, "Alissa was my little sister," James said quietly, looking at Lily.

"You mean she is your little sister?" Lily said, correcting James' grammar.

"No, I meant she was," he said, looking at Lily, whose face drained as she realized what he was trying to say.

"You mean she, she died?" she asked quietly, looking at James, who nodded and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down into her lap, feeling bad for having brought it up.

"Don't be sorry," he said, turning to look into the fire, "You couldn't have helped anyway. Voldemort was mad at dad for locking up one of his Death Eaters, so he targeted the family," James said, closing his eyes, "he arrived at the mansion last summer, the summer Alissa received her letter to go to Hogwarts. I've never been so scared," James said, his voice lowering to a whisper, "We were downstairs eating dinner, and there was a loud bang in front room. Dad got up and ran to see what it was and then there were more blasts. I got up and ran after him, telling mum to take Alissa and go upstairs. I remember walking into the front room when Voldemort screamed 'Crucio'. I watched dad writhe on the floor in pain and pulled out my wand. I sent a jinx at Voldemort, who blocked it and turned to me, pointing his wand at me. I remember freezing, but then Voldemort flew back and hit the wall. Mum was standing behind me, holding Alissa's hand. Voldemort pointed his wand at Mum and Dad and I threw him back again, but there was a flash of light and Alissa fell to the floor," a tear leaked out of the corner of James' eyes and Lily moved to sit next to him, taking his hand in hers, feeling her eyes glaze, "Mum and Dad pointed their wands at Voldemort and all of a sudden he was gone. I crouched down next to Alissa, and looked into her eyes, trying to wake her up, but she wasn't in there anymore," he said, wiping his eyes.

He turned to look at Lily, who looked sick, "I keep her picture as a reminder of what Voldemort has taken from me," he said, looking into Lily's eyes. She squeezed his hand and he looked down, realizing that she had taken his hand in hers. He looked back up at her and gave her a smile.

"I'm sorry James," Lily said quietly, leaning in and resting her head on his shoulder, "If I'd known I would've been nicer to you last year." James laughed.

"Ah Evans, are you telling me you would've gone out with me out of pity?" he said, nudging her, and Lily laughed.

"Probably," she mused, "I mean, that's why I said yes to," her eyes flashed up to see his harden and she stopped herself, "I mean, nothing," she said, looking down at her lap.

"Who Lils?" James asked, squeezing her hand.

"Nobody!" Lily said, nudging James, who smiled.

"I'll find out eventually," he winked, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, alright, good luck with that."

The two of them sat like that, not talking, for a long time, before James heard Lily's breathing slow. He looked down at her to see her asleep. He stood up, holding her so that she wouldn't fall, and carefully pulled her into his arms, noting how light she was.

"Merlin Evans, its as if you don't eat anything," he muttered as he carried her up to her room, laying her down on the bed. He untied her hair, watching in fascination as it cascaded over her pillow, and pulled the blanket over her. He looked down at her and remembered how, the day Alissa had died, he'd gone upstairs to his room and pulled out his photo album, and looked at a picture he had taken of Lily laughing, and watched as she laughed repeatedly. He closed the door quietly and walked to his room. He glanced at his watch as he took it off, and saw it was almost 2:30 in the morning.

He collapsed on top of his bed, noticing that somebody had made the bed for him, still dressed in his Hogwarts robes, and fell asleep quickly. It seemed like years ago that he and the Marauders had been in the Shrieking Shack.

**Hey! I know a lot happens in this chapter, but I'm building up the fear of Voldemort. Hope you like the story so far. Please review! I really like reading them. I hope you didn't mind much about me inventing Alissa but I wanted to explore a reason for James to hate him so much. Thanks for reading!**

**(:**


	7. Realisations

**Hey all. Yes I know I'm updating fast but I'm sitting here, bored, not wanting to study for History, and I'm actually really caught up in this story, so I'm writing it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except James' sister and his parents.**

_**Previously:**_

_Lily learns of James' dead sister_

_James finds out that Lily knows about Remus' furry little problem, and lies to her about their nicknames_

_Severus calls Lily a mudblood _

James sat up quickly and looked around his room. He groaned and looked over at his watch and jumped out of bed. He should be down at breakfast by now. He looked down and realized he was still in his Hogwarts robes. Shrugging he ran out of his room and up the stairs to Lily's. He pushed the door open to see her, still asleep, on the bed.

"Lily wake up," he said gently, standing over her. Lily smiled but did not wake up, "Lily we're going to be late," he said and leaned over to nudge Lily's arm. Lily groaned and rolled away from him, causing him to chuckle. He walked to the other side of the bed, "Lily, McGonagall's going to take away your Head Girl badge." Lily sat up quickly and looked around, only to see James howling with laughter.

"That's not funny," she groaned, rubbing her eyes with both of her fists. She got out of bed and James looked down at her pajamas. She was wearing long pajama pants and a spaghetti top, "See something you like Potter?" Lily smirked and pirouetted for James, who rolled his eyes.

"Get ready we're going to be late for breakfast," he said, smiling. Lily, however, wasn't listening. She was looking down at his robes.

"Did you _sleep _in those?" she said, gesturing to his robes.

"Why? Can you tell?" he said, looking down. They looked fine to him.

"Yes," she scoffed and walked to her dresser, picking up her wand, "Don't move," she said to him when he panicked at the sight of the wand. She pointed her wand at him and muttered something under her breath, and James felt a cool air travel from the top of his head all the way down to his shoes, "Much better," she said, nodding her satisfaction, then looked up at James who was looking down at his now clean robes and clean hair, "I need to change! Get out." James nodded dumbly and walked out of her room. He went downstairs to grab his bag and by the time he had picked his, and Lily's bags up, she was down the stairs, her hair tied up again.

"Thanks," she said, grabbing her bag from him and the two of them made their way down to the Great Hall.

"What's the schedule today?" James said as they reached the Entrance Hall a few minutes later. Lily shrugged and pulled her schedule out of her bag.

"We have Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology and a free period," she said, looking down at her schedule happily.

"What are you smiling about?" James muttered grumpily. He hated having to go to Transfiguration first. McGonagall always set them so much work, which tended to ruin his day.

"Potions," she grinned. James rolled his eyes. Lily was really good at potions, and to top it off, Slughorn was in love with her.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he popped the question any day now Evans," James said, rolling his eyes, and Lily shoved him.

"Would you be jealous?" Sirius said, popping up beside James, "I went to look for you," he shrugged; answering the question he was sure James was going to ask.

"No I would not be jealous," James said, rolling his eyes at Sirius, trying to cover up the blush forming under his skin.

"Of course you wouldn't Prongsie," Sirius said, scuffling James' hair, "you have me!" Lily laughed and James shoved Sirius.

"Don't touch the hair Pads," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"Lily!" someone screamed. Lily turned around to see Amelia Bones, a sixth year Ravenclaw, running towards them. Lily groaned quietly before putting on a large smile, much to the amusement of Sirius, who hadn't thought of Lily as a person capable of disliking people who weren't Slytherins.

"Hi Amelia," Lily said sweetly, when the sixth year stopped in front of her.

"Congratulations by the way," Amelia said, pointing at the Head Girl badge on Lily's robes.

"Thanks," Lily smiled and Amelia blushed. She had always liked Lily, and had considered her somewhat of a role model.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on this," she said, pointing between Lily and James, causing Lily to frown.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, her eyes flickering to James and Sirius, who looked as confused as she felt.

"The two of you finally dating, of course!" Amelia exclaimed, laughing.

"We-We're not dating!" Lily choked out, looking at James who looked shocked, and then at Sirius who was trying his best not to laugh.

"Y-you're not?" Amelia asked, looking at James, who shook his head slightly, "I'm so sorry I just assumed…" she trailed off, "I'm going to go now, sorry!" she said, before running into the Great Hall.

"Well that was awkward," Sirius said happily, looking at both Lily and James' expressions of shock as they walked into the Great Hall.

"What was awkward?" Remus asked, as the three of them as they sat down.

"Amelia Bones congratulated Lily on her and James going out," Sirius said, grinning. Hestia choked on her pumpkin juice and Lily glared at her.

"I must agree, that sounds awkward," Gwenog said from beside Hestia, patting her on the back. Before anyone could say anything else, however, McGonagall walked up to them, looking pointedly at James.

"Potter, I have a long list of people who want to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, when are tryouts?" she asked sternly, "Morning Ms. Evans," she added, smiling at Lily.

"When can we schedule them?" James asked, looking up at McGonagall, speaking in his Quidditch Captain voice.

"Does this weekend sound okay to you, Potter?"

"Yes but it cannot be Saturday afternoon, I have a meeting." Lily smiled her approval. At least he wasn't a slacker.

"Ah yes I am aware of your meeting with the prefects. Would Sunday morning be suitable for you?" James nodded and McGonagall started to walk away, with another smile at Lily.

"She likes you a lot," Gwenog muttered, looking at Lily.

"It's only because I'm a good student," Lily shrugged, and everyone rolled their eyes; good was an understatement. Lily turned as Gwenog threw her fork on her plate, stood up, and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Did I miss something?" Remus asked, looking after Gwenog with a frown.

"Remus shouldn't you be in the hospital wing?" Peter said without thinking, and clapped his hand over his mouth.

"Why is Remus supposed to be in the hospital wing?" Hestia asked, looking down at her plate.

"Hest we should go to class," Lily said quickly, standing up.

"We will, why is Remus going to the hospital wing?" Lily grabbed her friends' arm and pulled her up, "What!" Hestia said, stumbling after Lily who was walking from the Great Hall.

"I like someone," Lily blurted out, trying to distract Hestia, and to her satisfaction, it worked, all thought of Remus forgotten.

"You have to tell me!" Hestia gushed, tugging on Lily's sleeve, "Is it Remus? You do smile at him a lot. Sirius? Please Merlin let it not be Sirius; I could never beat you in getting a guy," Hestia started, and Lily rolled her eyes, walking calmly with her friend towards their first class.

Back in the Great Hall, the Marauders sat, slightly shocked, "Wormtail what's wrong with you!" Sirius hissed, turning to glare at Peter, who was still sitting frozen with his hand on his mouth.

"Why did Lily cut Hestia off?" Remus asked, looking at James, "Did you tell her?"

"No! I swear I did not," James said, looking Remus in the eye, "She asked me about our nicknames and then said she understood yours, and then I asked her what she meant by that and she said that she had everything figured out in fifth year," he said, looking at Remus, who's eyebrows raised.

"She's known since fifth year and she still talks to me?" he asked, astonished, "Does anyone else know?"

"No she said it wasn't her secret to tell," James said, and saw Remus smile.

"Lovely Lily; I understand why Slughorn calls her that now."

"Why aren't you in the Hospital Wing by the way?" James asked curiously, looking at his friend.

"I didn't injure myself too badly last night and nothing hurts," he shrugged. James nodded and turned to wink at Peter, who smiled gratefully at James.

"That's good," said Sirius, smiling at him, "I don't know what I'd do without you in class today, who's notes would I copy?" he gasped, and James rolled his eyes. At that moment, the Slytherins who were at the Owlery with Lily and James entered the Great Hall, and James saw them change course from the Slytherin Table, making their way over to him instead.

"Have a good morning Potty?" Mulciber sneered, looking down at James who stepped on Sirius' foot, controlling Sirius from standing up and cursing them.

"Potty isn't so brave without a mudblood here to stand up for him again," Dolohov hissed, and James felt his friends' eyes turn to him curiously.

"I don't need her to stand up for me," James said, turning to look at them, "It was her battle to fight anyway, not mine."

"Of course that's what he would say," Severus said, rolling his eyes, but giving James a small smile, which James acknowledged with a nod.

"I suggest you leave. Now." Sirius said, pulling his wand out, clutching it in his hand, and turning around to face the Slytherins. Dolohov, Mulciber and Severus walked away, but Avery didn't move, and smirked down at James.

"You wont have that mudblood for long," he said, winking at James, who felt acid boil in his stomach, "I think I might like to borrow her sometime, if you know what I mean," he smirked, winking again, and James made an attempt to stand up, but felt Sirius, Remus and Peter grab him to stop him from hurting Avery; James was Head Boy now after all.

Lily entered the hall to see James being restrained by his friends, Avery standing in front of him. Hestia was standing next to Lily, still blabbing about Lily's imaginary crush, and didn't notice the tension that seemed to surround the boys as they approached them.

Avery looked up at Lily as she walked with Hestia towards them, smile appreciatively, and turn back to James, "Mudblood or not, I think you better watch her or else," he said and winked. James started to get up again but Sirius stepped on his foot.

Lily and Hestia were standing next to them now, and Hestia, finally noticing the tension, turned red, "I forgot my bag," she said, and leaned down to get it, "I'll see you later Lils, I have to run back to the dorm," she said, and walked quickly from the Great Hall, leaving Lily to sit through the situation.

"Hi there," Avery said, grinning at Lily in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. She noticed how James's eyes burned, and realized it was probably something she wouldn't want to know. She ignored him and went to sit down next to Remus, who was on the other side of James, away from Avery.

"Leave," James said, barely controlling his voice from shaking as he watched the way Avery was looking at Lily.

"Bye," Avery said, winking at Lily, who looked away from him. When he had walked away, Lily noticed how Sirius, Remus and Peter watched James carefully; he was known to curse those who expressed feelings for Lily, as James did not like competition.

"Later," James muttered, and stood up, striding quickly from the Great Hall. Lily stood up and followed after him.

"James," she said, running after him, but he didn't slow down, "James!" she yelled, and he kept on walking. She exhaled furiously and pulled out her wand, "_Imobulus!" _she said, and James froze. She walked calmly up to him and stood in front of him so she was looking up into his eyes. She flicked her wand and the spell was lifted from James, who was looking down at Lily.

"What was that for?" he asked irritably, and Lily flinched from the anger in his voice. Whatever Avery had said had really bothered him.

"Well you wouldn't stop!" she said, "and you honestly expect me to chase after you?" James cracked a small smile and Lily smiled in return, "Are you alright?" she asked quietly, and James shook his head, "Do you want to talk about it?" James shook his head again and Lily shrugged, "Alright, then let's go to class?"

James shook his head and Lily rolled her eyes, "Stinks for you then because we are going to class," she said, walking behind him and pushing him. James laughed and twisted around so that Lily's hands were pressed against his chest instead. Lily felt the hard muscle under her hands and pulled her hands away slower than she could have, "Uhm, class," she managed to say, and walked around James, who smiled at the fact that he had made her flustered.

That night in the Heads dorm, Lily was sitting at her desk, finishing a Charms essay Flitwick had set them, which was to be handed in after a week. James was sitting at his own desk, finishing the Potions questions Lily had finished after her Transfiguration essay.

Once Lily was finished, she rolled up her parchment, and walked up to her room to put the essay in her cupboard. She walked down the stairs and flopped onto her favorite armchair, and began to read Cinderella, which she had taken from the Room of Requirement. The door to their dorm flew open and Lily's head snapped up as the door rebounded against the wall loudly.

Sirius walked inside, a wide smile on his face. He shut the door behind him and walked over to sit on the sofa next to Lily, "I have an idea!" he said happily.

"Congratulations Black," Lily said, getting back to her book. James chuckled, put his quill down, and walked over to sit across from Sirius on the sofa.

"Yes Pads let's hear your idea," he said, as Sirius glared at Lily, who was reading her book.

"What's a Cinderella?" he asked, squinting at the cover of Lily's book.

"It's a muggle children's story," she said, looking up at Sirius.

"What a stupid name," Sirius muttered, and Lily rolled her eyes, "Anyway, my idea," he said, looking at James, "we're going to have a party." Lily closed her book and sighed.

"For what?" she asked, looking at Sirius who turned to grin at her.

"I didn't know our Lily-flower was a party animal. Who would've thought, our Head Girl would be interested in a party being thrown by the sexiest man at Hogwarts," Sirius grinned and Lily rolled her eyes, "What you don't think this is sexy?" Sirius said, gesturing to his face and his body. Lily shook her head and stood up, heading over to her staircase, "Where are you going?" Sirius asked.

"Change into my pajamas," she said, as she headed up the stairs.

"Wear the ones you were wearing when you came down to yell at me the first night at Hogwarts," he yelled up the stairs, and James laughed as the door slammed.

"You should probably stop teasing her mate," James said, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Our party. I saw we throw a huge party for Moony's seventeenth. After all, he is the last Marauder to turn seventeen is he not?" James nodded.

"It sounds like a good idea," James said, running a hand through his hair.

"So can I have permission? I want to throw the party this Saturday night, tomorrow night, as Sunday is Moony's birthday,"

"Uh, yes you have my permission," James said, quirking and eyebrow, "Why do you need my permission?"

"You're Head Boy now Prongs," Sirius shrugged, and James rolled his eyes, "and fair warning, I'm going to go to Hogsmeade and get the goodies before the party," Sirius said, and winked at James.

"I don't want to know!" James said, standing up and walking over to his desk, "just make sure you don't get caught." Sirius grinned and got up to run out of the door.

"I'm going to go prepare!" he yelled happily, and ran out of the room. James looked at his calendar and saw that it was Friday. Lily came down the stairs wearing long pajama pants and a tank top.

"Sirius would be disappointed," James said, looking up and down at Lily's outfit, and Lily laughed.

"Yes it's my goal in life to please him," Lily said, rolling her eyes, and James chuckled. Lily sighed, "We have that meeting tomorrow," she groaned, putting her arm over her eyes as she lay down on the sofa. James chuckled and packed his stuff away before walking over to Lily.

"It wont be a long meeting," James said, and walked over to sit by Lily's feet, "Just tell them their patrols, and then be done with it," he shrugged, and Lily laughed.

"Smart idea," she said then smirked, "Don't take it to your head, it's already inflated enough." James growled playfully, jumped on Lily and started to tickle her, causing her to scream, "No no!" she screamed, as she laughed and tried to fight James off of her. James laughed and stopped, then froze as he realized he was lying on top of Lily. Lily was still giggling, and James felt her body move as she giggled. Lily stopped laughing when she realized James was on top of her and she felt a blush creep up under her cheeks.

"So the party?" she asked quietly, clearing her throat, looking at James, who still hadn't moved.

"We, being Sirius, are throwing a happy birthday party for Moony tomorrow night, as he is the last Marauder to turn seventeen," James shrugged.

"Am I invited?"

"I think the whole of Gryffindor is invited," James said, rolling his eyes and Lily laughed again. James turned his head to look over the sofa, and yelled as he started to fall having twisted the wrong way. He grabbed Lily around the waist and she screamed as he pulled her down onto the floor on top of him.

"Sorry!" James said, as Lily fell on top of him. Lily shook her head and started to laugh.

"Ah I'll get up," she said, pushing herself up, with a little bit of help from James. She stood up and stretched, while James sat up. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at Lily.

"So are you going to come tomorrow?" he asked, and Lily smiled.

"Do I have a choice?" she asked cheekily and James grinned, "See you later," she said, heading towards her stairs. James stood up and followed Lily up the stairs to her room. When Lily entered her room she turned around to see James following her inside, "Can I help you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

James shrugged, "You explored my room, it's my turn," he grinned at her and started to walk around her room.

"There's nothing exciting in my room," she said, sitting down on the edge of her bed, watching James walk around her room. He looked at the items on her dresser; a hairbrush, watch, a box of hair-ties.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to her trunk, which was lying on the floor by her dresser, and she nodded. He pushed open the lid of her trunk and snorted, "It's so neat," he said, shaking his head. Every trunk he had ever seen had a layer of debris at the bottom of broken quills and pieces of paper, but Lily's was extremely organized. He saw a pile of books on one side, and looked through them. He recognized them as muggle books because the people on the covers didn't move. At the bottom of the trunk, he found a photo album, and pulled it out, "Can I look at this?" he asked, looking up at Lily, who was reading a book, leaning against her head board. She looked up to see what he was holding.

"You wont know anyone in it," she frowned and James shrugged.

"So?" he asked and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Okay come here," she said, moving to the corner of her bed. James sat down next to her and Lily grabbed the album from him, turning to the first page, "It's basically an album of my life. I've got baby pictures of me, pictures of me and Tuney as children, our family, random pictures," she shrugged and James looked down at the album to see a baby with a bright auburn tuft on top of its head and almond shaped green eyes looking up at the camera. James smiled down at the picture and Lily looked down to see herself as a baby looking up at the camera. He pulled the album out of her hands and put it on his own lap.

"You were a cute baby," he said, smiling down at the picture, and Lily blushed. He turned the page to see baby Lily in a toddlers lap, the toddler laughing as baby Lily pulled her hair, "Is that your sister?" he asked, gesturing to the toddler.

"Yeah that's Tuney, I mean, Petunia," she said, smiling down at the picture.

"You look nothing alike," he pointed out, looking from Petunia's dark brown eyes to Lily's green ones, and Petunia's dark brown hair to Lily's auburn hair. Lily shrugged.

"Our parents always loved the fact that we were as different as can be," she shrugged and James smiled. He turned the page and saw toddler Lily and an older Petunia dressed as ballerinas, "that was for Halloween," Lily said, and James nodded, noticing how happy the two of them looked. He turned the page again to see a family picture. He looked closely at the picture. Lily had the same eyes and smile as her father, and had her mother's auburn hair.

"Nice family," he said, looking at her parents' friendly smiles. He looked down at Lily and her sister to see that Petunia had her arm around Lily's shoulders. James frowned as he thought about how Lily talked about her sister now; her sister seemed to really dislike her, "What happened between you and her?" he asked, looking up at Lily, who sighed.

"I got my Hogwarts letter, and she wanted to go too, but obviously she couldn't…she's called me a freak and ignored me since then," she said, and looked down at her and Petunia in the photo. James decided not to push Lily any further and flipped the page to see Lily with her Hogwarts robes next to Petunia in what seemed to be her school uniform. He noticed how Petunia wasn't standing next to Lily, and how Lily's smile didn't seem to reach her eyes.

"It's a stupid reason if you ask me," James said, looking down at the picture, "I wish I had my sister back, and I don't think your sister has the right to ignore you, I mean, what would she do if she lost you?" he asked, looking up at her. Lily shrugged.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly, and James nodded. He turned to see a picture of Lily sitting on her bed reading a textbook and laughed.

"Now _that's _the Lily I know," he chuckled, and Lily smacked him in the arm, trying to control her laughter. He flipped the page and saw a picture of Lily's parents; the last picture in the album. He flipped through the other pages to see empty slots.

"I'm going to take lots of pictures this year and put them in there," she said and James stood up, handing the album back to her.

"Muggle or Wizard?" he asked.

"Muggle I think," she said, and James smiled.

"Do you have a camera?" Lily nodded towards the trunk and James pulled the camera out. He turned and clicked a picture of Lily who glared at him. James laughed and walked out of the room, "I'll take pictures for you," he said, and shut the door behind him, "Night Lils!"

"That had to be the longest meeting _ever" _Lily groaned as she, James and Remus got back to the Heads dorm the next morning after the meeting.

"It wasn't long," Remus said, "People just kept asking you questions," he said, flopping down on Lily's armchair.

"They were such stupid questions too," James said, lying down on the sofa. Lily sat on the floor, ignoring the other armchair, and rested her head against the sofa.

"Well everyone shut up after we warned them about Voldemort," she said, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Such cowards; 'what do we do?' 'Should we reply?'" James and Lily laughed as Remus mimicked their voices. Just then, the door opened and Dumbledore walked in, followed by Alice and Frank.

"Alice!" Lily squealed, and ran into Alice's arms.

"Lily I missed you!" Alice laughed, and the two girls hugged. Frank walked over to Remus and the two of them hugged, clapping each other on the back, then James and Frank did the same thing. Dumbledore cleared his throat, amused, and five of them turned.

"I want to congratulate you on a job well done with the meeting this morning," Dumbledore said, looking at Lily and James. James guffawed then clapped a hand over his mouth, and Dumbledore laughed, "It was a well organized meeting and you delivered the news well. Also, am I correct in hearing about a party in the Gryffindor tower tonight?" Dumbledore asked, raising his eyebrows at James.

"Well, yes," James said, looking down at the floor.

"Just don't make too much noise," Dumbledore said, and with a smile to Lily, walked out of the dorm.

"Party?" Alice asked, looking at Lily.

"I have so much to tell you," Lily said, looking at Alice, "C'mon let's go," she said, pulling Alice to the door.

"Where are you going?" James and Frank said at the same time.

"To Hestia and Gwenog," Lily said over her shoulder, "I'll send Sirius and Peter here," she said, and walked out the door, "Ah I missed you Alice!" Lily said, putting her arm around Alice's shoulder, "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Alice said, "I mean, it was weird watching them bury dad, but there's not much I can do about it but join the Order and fight," she shrugged. Lily nodded and entered through the portrait hole. They walked up the stairs to the Marauders dormitory first.

"Black!" Lily said, walking over to Sirius's bed. Sirius was fast asleep, his limbs all over the bed, "Wake up," she said, poking at him.

"What?" Sirius whined, turning away from her, and Lily roller her eyes.

"Go to the Heads dorm and plan your party," Lily said, and Sirius sat up quickly.

"Lily-flower! What are you doing in my room?" he said, wagging his eyebrows and Lily rolled her eyes, "I'm going," he said, getting out of bed, and Lily and Alice walked out. They walked to the dormitory and pushed the door open to see Hestia and Gwenog sitting up in their beds talking. When the girls saw Alice, they screamed and ran towards her, and the four of them had a group hug. They sat down together on Lily's old bed and talked for a long time.

"Oh Merlin we have to start getting ready for the party!" Hestia squealed, jumping up and down. Lily turned to look at the clock and saw that the party would start in about an hour.

"We've been sitting here the whole day?" she asked, looking at Hestia who grinned.

"I know right? That went by fast. Anyway, time to get ready!" she squealed, jumping off the bed, pulling Alice and Gwenog with her.

"What are you going to wear?" Alice asked.

"I was thinking jeans and a shirt," Lily shrugged, but Hestia gasped.

"That's it, I am dressing you Lily," she said, and ignoring Lily's screams of protest and the other girls laughs, pulled Lily up by her hand, "Let's go to your dorm Lily," she said.

"Why?"

"Because you have a giant room and even bigger bathroom," Gwenog said as if it was obvious, and together the four girls walked down the stairs. They reached the Heads dorm to see the four Marauders and Frank sitting in front of the fire playing Exploding snap.

"Out!" Hestia instructed, pointing her finger at the door, and the boys looked up at them.

"Why?" Sirius asked looking bewildered as he eyed the bag Hestia had brought along with her, which was full of cosmetics and clothes.

"We need to get ready," Hestia said, and walked over to them, pulling all of them up.

"Alright we're leaving," James said, raising his hands in surrender as Hestia glared at him dangerously.

"Yeah we have to go get the goods anyway," Sirius said, winking at Hestia who blushed, "I'll see you at the party then Jones," he said, and walked out. Once the boys had left, Hestia pointed her wand at the door and locked it.

"Let's get busy," Hestia said. She walked to the bathroom, the others following her, and emptied the bag on the counter. Lily groaned as products that were made to enhance every part of your body rolled out, and as quite a few pieces of Hestia's clothes rolled out as well.

Hestia conjured up three chairs and made Alice, Gwenog and Lily sit down in them, "What about you Hest?" Gwenog asked, eyeing the eyelash curler in front of her warily.

"I can get ready in a jiffy," Hestia said, as she pulled a jar of Sleaksy's hair straightening cream out of her bag, and made her way over to Lily.

"But I don't want to straighten my hair!" Lily said, putting her hands on her hair, and Hestia rolled her eyes, and headed over to Gwenog instead. Gwenog attempted to protest but gave up, as Hestia looked determined.

"Lily you're going to wear the outfit on the right," Hestia said, gesturing to the clothes out on the couch. There was only a pile of clothes and Lily looked at Hestia questioningly. Hestia sighed and flicked her wand, and the outfits organized themselves into four outfits. Lily walked over to them and looked at the one on the right. It was an emerald coloured top with a black skirt and Lily groaned, eying the skirt, "Shut up Lily you're going to wear the skirt anyway," Hestia said and Lily rolled her eyes, "Put the top on now Lily. You can wear the skirt later." Lily did as she was told; she took of her Hogwarts robes and wore the emerald top on top of her short shorts that she wore to bed sometimes. She walked back to the bathroom and Hestia nodded her approval at the top, which complemented Lily's eyes.

"Alice yours is the one next to Lily's," Hestia said, and Alice sighed, walking over to the couch. Lily followed after Alice, as Hestia was still working on Gwenog's hair. Hestia had brought a light pink top and denim Capri pants for Alice.

"Why couldn't I wear Capri pants?" Lily whined and Hestia turned to glare at her. Lily huffed and helped Alice put the top on, which was a lot more complicated than it looked.

"Lily your turn," Hestia said, gesturing to a chair in the bathroom and Lily groaned, taking a seat in Gwenog's recently vacated seat. Gwenog walked out of the bathroom, her makeup and hair done, and grumpily looked down at the outfits; she was wearing a red top and shorts.

Once all the girls were done, they made their way to Gryffindor Tower. Hestia had twisted Lily's hair into an elegant knot at the back of her head, letting a few strands loose, and had put on dark mascara for her. Hestia was wearing a tight orange dress and matching orange heels. She had gotten wedged shoes for Lily and Gwenog, who she knew hated stilettos, but Alice was wearing pink stilettos.

"Why couldn't we have worn dress robes?" Gwenog groaned from beside Lily. She was the least girlish of them all and was having trouble walking around in the heels.

"Because muggle clothes are a lot more flattering," Hestia said, as they reached the portrait hole, "Ready?" she asked. The other girls nodded and Hestia said the password, and the four of them walked into Gryffindor tower.

"Oh my Merlin," Alice whimpered. The Gryffindor tower was full of people in muggle clothes, dressed up, and were dancing to the music that was blasting from Merlin knew where. Lily followed Hestia, and spotted a table in the corner that had bottles of Firewhisky and Butterbeer. She wondered how the Marauders had managed to sneak that into Hogwarts, let alone get out of Hogwarts to fetch it.

"Lily-flower!" Sirius boomed from behind them. The girls turned around to see Sirius canter towards them, a bottle of Firewhisky in his hand.

"Hey Black," Lily said, smiling at him. He looked the girls up and down and then smiled happily. Lily rolled her eyes and looked around the room.

"Prongs and the others, along with Frank, is over there," Sirius yelled over the music, gesturing to the other side of the common room where the couches were. The girls started to walk in that direction but Sirius grabbed Hestia around the waist, "Not so fast Jones," he said, smiling at her. Lily, not wanting to witness the moment, walked away quickly with Gwenog and Alice towards the armchairs by the fire. She saw Remus, James, Frank and Peter sitting in the armchairs. Remus, Peter and Frank had bottles of Firewhisky in their hands, much to the disapproval of Alice, and Lily was glad to see that James was drinking a Butterbeer. James' eyes widened as he saw Lily and the others approach. The other boys turned around and grinned.

Frank stood up and walked over to Alice, who grinned up at him. He gestured to the dance floor, holding out his hand, and Alice took it, turning to give Lily an excited smile, before letting Frank pull her onto the dance floor.

"Where's Hestia?" Remus asked, looking at Gwenog.

"Sirius grabbed her," Lily said, sitting down, and Remus, Peter and James snickered.

"Yeah, you're not going to see her for a while," Peter said, chuckling, and Lily groaned. She would, no doubt, be hearing everything from Hestia later.

James caught Lily's eye and nodded towards the dance floor. Lily shook her head frantically and James sighed. He stood up and walked over to Lily, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up from the sofa where she had sat down. Remus, Peter and Gwenog chuckled as Lily groaned and let James drag her onto the dance floor.

"I can't dance James," Lily squealed, as James stopped and turned to face her.

"I can," he said, grinning down at her. Lily rolled her eyes and let James take her hand, "I'll show you," he said, and started twirling her around. Lily laughed and let James continue to twirl her, "See that's not so hard," James said, as he grabbed Lily around the waist to steady her, "are you thirsty?" he asked, gesturing to where the bottles were. Lily nodded and James grabbed her hand, pulling her to the drinks. Sirius and Hestia were still standing there, Sirius' arms around Hestia's shoulders, talking. As they approached, Sirius turned towards them.

"Prongsie!" he yelled. James laughed and Lily noticed Sirius' eyes narrow in on James' hand around her. She quickly yanked her hand out of James', not wanting Sirius to get the wrong idea. Hestia shrugged out from under Sirius' arms and walked over to Lily, and held out her hand.

"Want to dance?" Hestia yelled and Lily laughed and nodded. James and Sirius watched as Lily and Hestia started to dance together, their hair flying everywhere.

"I thought you couldn't dance," James yelled over the music, looking at Lily who rolled her eyes.

"Different kind of dancing," she yelled back, and James rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Well I think they dance really well," Sirius said, leaning back to watch the two girls dance. James smacked him in the arm and Sirius barked a laugh, "I was talking about mine Prongs," Sirius said, nodding at Hestia. James turned and raised his eyebrows at Sirius, who turned red.

"Yes, I like Jones okay?" Sirius said, looking at Hestia, and James grinned.

"Well I heard she likes you too so go for it," James said, clapping Sirius on the back, and Sirius grinned happily.

"You going to go for it with Evans?" Sirius asked quietly, and James shrugged, "I think you should," Sirius shrugged, and clapped James on the shoulder, "good luck mate,"

"You too," James said. Sirius gave James a grateful smile and walked over to the girls.

"My turn!" He said, grabbing Hestia around the waist and pulling her towards him, pushing Lily out of the way. Lily rolled her eyes and walked over to where James was standing, and grabbed his hand, pulling him onto the dance floor.

"I'm in the mood to dance now, okay?" she said, as James gave her an incredulous smile. She and James danced together with Lily's hair flying around, and James found himself having the most fun he'd had since Alissa had died.

The music changed to a slow song and James watched over Lily's shoulder as Remus pulled Gwenog onto the dance floor.

"You want to dance with me?" James said quietly, nervous, holding his hands out to Lily. Lily looked nervously at James' hands and James felt his heart sink. Was Lily Evans going to reject him again? James looked away from Lily, not wanting to watch her reject him again, but felt a pressure on the insides of his hands. He looked down incredulously to see Lily's hands in his. He looked up at her and saw a small smile on her blushing face. James felt as if his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He pulled her closer and put her hands up on his shoulders, then moved his hands down to her waist. Lily looked up at James and felt her stomach flip. She liked James Potter.

James grinned down at Lily and she felt her heart speed up. How had this happened? She had hated James last year, and even at the beginning of this year. Or at least she thought she had. Had she only been so harsh on him because she felt something? She thought back to when James had asked her out in their sixth year, and how she had said no, but her stomach had flipped when he had asked. How long had she liked James? Had she liked him, without knowing it, for as long as he'd liked her?

James was looking down at Lily, watching the frown in between her eyebrows deepen and deepen as she thought harder. He took a step towards her, and she snapped out of her trance, and looked up into James' eyes. He looked scared, she noticed, and realized it was because he had taken a step closer to her. She grinned up at James and he felt his heart speed up. Taking a deep breath, Lily took a step closer to James, and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging herself to him. James felt his heart speed up, and felt elated. He wrapped his arms around her and felt as if his chest was going to explode with happiness.

When the song was over, Lily, regretfully, unwrapped her arms from around James' neck, so they were on his shoulders, and looked down at the floor. James still had his arms wrapped around Lily's waist, holding her to him; he was not about to let her go. He unwrapped an arm and put his finger under her chin, pulling her face up so she was looking him in the eye, and slowly released his other arm from around her waist. Lily found herself absorbed in James' eyes as another slow song started. James wrapped his arms around her waist quickly and Lily, shocked, moved her hands so they were resting on James's chest. James chuckled at her reaction and she smiled up at him. James lowered his head so his forehead was resting on hers, and Lily looked into his eyes, nervous.

Carefully, she moved her arms to wrap them around his neck, and she smirked as James' eyes widened. James leaned in further, and Lily turned her head slightly to the side. James lowered his face so his lips were a centimeter from Lily's. Lily pushed herself up, and their lips met.

James responded with such enthusiasm that it lifted Lily off her feet. James was standing up straight, holding her up with no effort so Lily's feet were dangling in midair, as if she was as light as a feather. The song ended and James put Lily back on the floor. Lily, blushing furiously, looked anywhere but at James. James was doing the opposite, and looking directly at Lily. He put his hands on either side of her face and turned her so she had no choice but to look at him. James beamed at Lily, and Lily felt herself smile back.

"Lily, do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?" he whispered, and Lily laughed and nodded. There was cheering and James and Lily looked up to see the whole of Gryffindor Tower watching them, clapping. Lily turned redder than her hair, and James looked over at Sirius, who had his wand out.

"Sorry mate," he grinned, walking over to them, "I didn't _mean _to project your voice, but I couldn't hear," he winked, and the whole of Gryffindor Tower laughed. Lily blushed even harder, and turned to look at Hestia, who had come up behind Sirius, a grin on her face.

"It's about _time_ Lily!" she yelled, and Sirius laughed, putting his arm around Hestia.

"Yeah well, right back at you," she said, gesturing to Sirius, who, to her immense satisfaction, turned red. Hestia, who was also blushing, rolled her eyes. James laughed at his best friends discomfort, and put his arm around Lily's shoulders.

"We're going to go now," James said, nodding from himself to Lily, who smiled gratefully up at him. The rest of Gryffindor Tower had gone back to dancing, and the four of them made their way over to Remus and Gwenog, who were sitting on the sofa talking. Remus grinned at James as he walked up.

"I see you _finally _said yes to him," Remus said, winking at Lily, who laughed, "Well, don't say I didn't warn you," he shrugged, and grinned up at James who pretended to look offended. Sirius barked a laugh and Remus turned to look at him too, "Well you finally got with Jones so I wouldn't be one to talk Pads," Remus said, and Sirius stopped laughing, causing the rest of them to laugh. Sirius unwrapped his arm from Hestia and walked over to Lily and James. He pushed Lily out of the way and pulled James into a hug. James hugged his friend back, clapping him on the back.

"We did it!" Sirius squealed in a girly way. James laughed and walked around Sirius to Hestia.

"Good luck," he said, shaking her hand, causing Hestia to laugh, before turning to Lily, holding out his hand. Lily took his hand, ignoring to way Sirius started clapping, and let James lead her out of the Gryffindor common room. James and Lily walked down the stairs, swinging their hands in between them.

James ran his free hand through his hair, "I can't believe you said yes," he chuckled, and Lily blushed. He nudged her shoulder, "Why are you blushing?"

"I'm not blushing!" she said, turning even redder, and James laughed.

"I think you're blushing," he said, nudging her.

"Well obviously I'm blushing if you keep _nudging _me like that," she said in a high pitched voice, and James laughed, "why are you laughing so much?" she asked him.

"Because I'm happy," he shrugged, and Lily looked down at the floor.

"Does this mean I have to come to your house for Christmas?" she groaned, and James laughed.

"I can't believe you read my dads letter," he said, shaking his head at the floor, and Lily smacked him in the arm.

"I was just-"

"Exploring?" James asked, smiling at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him playfully, "Ah Lils it's fine. You don't _have _to come over for Christmas, it's just an offer," he said, and Lily smiled.

"But I want to come over for Christmas," she said, grinning up at him, and James looked down incredulously.

"Do mine ears deceive me?" he said dramatically, and Lily laughed. They walked into the Heads dorm and sat down on the sofa. After about thirty minutes of talking, Lily made to get up, but was pulled back by James, causing her to fall into his lap.

"That's cheating," she said turning so she was facing James.

"I think you wearing that skirt is cheating," he said, looking down at her skirt, which was riding up. Lily pulled the skirt down and James laughed, "Now why did you do that?" Lily smacked him in the arm and tried to get up again, but James wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Really Potter, if I'd known you were this clingy I wouldn't have said yes to you," she said, rolling her eyes, and James rolled his eyes.

"I'm not clingy," he said, letting go of her. Lily laughed and stood up.

"I say we have a strict no touching rule," she said, stretching, and James stood up.

"I don't think I can agree to that," he said, wrapping his arms around her again.

"Well then I don't think this will work out," Lily said, mock seriously and James pouted. Lily laughed and hugged him, before disentangling herself, "I want to sleep!" she said, walking towards her staircase, but stopped as she saw a letter lying on her table, "Do you know who this is from?" she asked, looking down at it. James walked over and looked at the handwriting.

"It's neither one of my parents," he shrugged, and Lily opened the letter.

"It's from Petunia," she gasped, and James stood behind her, reading over her shoulder.

_Lily,_

_I want to invite you to my wedding. Vernon proposed, and I am as happy as I can be. Please come, it would mean a lot to me. Anyway it's not like you have a choice, you're my Maid of Honour. Bring your boyfriend, or crush or whatever, and I know this because I am your sister and can sense that you have one and you have had one since your second year at that school._

_Love,_

_Tuney_

"You've had a crush since second year?" James asked slightly dejected.

"I cant believe she knew before I did," she said, shaking her head.

"She knew what before you did?" James said, turning Lily so he could look her in the eye.

"She knew I liked someone before I did," she shrugged.

"Who?" James asked curiously, and Lily smiled, looking up at him.

"You."

**Yes I know the ending is really cheesy but I couldn't resist! Hope you like it!**


	8. Surprises

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except this storyline**

_**Previously:**_

_Lily and James FINALLY got together_

_Sirius and Hestia get together_

_Avery expressed interest in Lily_

_Lily gets a wedding invitation from her sister_

On Monday morning, Lily woke up and dressed hurriedly. She ran downstairs to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then checked her hair. It was her first day at Hogwarts as James Potters' girlfriend. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she walked up James' staircase to wake him up. He had been at Quidditch tryouts the whole of Sunday, so she hadn't seen him until dinner the previous night. When she walked in, she found him lying on his stomach, talking to a mirror.

"Pads it's so early!" James whined, looking into the mirror. Lily raised her eyebrows, thinking he was practicing for something, but then jumped as she heard Sirius' voice from the mirror.

"But Prongs I need advice! What do you think her favorite colour is? I don't know what to wear to Hogsmeade next weekend!"

"Her favourite colour is orange, but she likes you in blue," Lily said, sitting down on the bed next to James.

"THANK YOU LILY-FLOWER!" Sirius yelled happily, looking over at Lily, "I have a surprise for you at breakfast," he winked.

"What surprise?" James asked curiously.

"It's for both of you now shut up and get ready," Sirius said, blowing a kiss to Lily before the mirror turned dark.

"He's so irritating," James muttered to himself, sitting up, and then turning to smile at Lily, "Morning." Lily laughed.

"Morning," she smiled, and James kissed her on the cheek before getting up.

"Let's go before he does anything too stupid for our surprise," James said miserably, and Lily smiled. She sat on James' bed as he got ready and brushed his teeth. When he was done, he held his hand out to her and Lily grabbed it happily.

"We didn't get to talk yesterday, but do you want to come to Tuney's wedding with me?" Lily asked, looking at James, who grinned.

"That means I get to meet your parents?" he said, turning to Lily, whose expression fell.

"I didn't think of that. On second thought, I'm not allowing you to come," she said resolutely and James guffawed.

"No no I'm coming," he said, shaking his head. Lily rolled her eyes and shoved James, who shoved her back, causing her to laugh, "When is the wedding?" he asked.

"Christmas break," Lily said. She had asked Petunia the night before using a telephone that worked in Dumbledore's office.

"Great! So we can go for your sisters wedding, and then you come to my house," James said, winking at Lily who rolled her eyes. They entered the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table, still chatting. Hestia, Sirius and Remus were already at the table, Sirius eating as he usually did, Hestia next to him, and Remus sitting across from them looking disgusted.

"Are you disgusted by Blacks eating habits or Hestia's ignorance of Blacks eating habits?" Lily asked, sitting next to Remus, who laughed.

"Both," he said, turning to smile at Lily, "And thank you for accepting me with, you know, my furry little problem," Remus said quietly, and Lily smiled at him.

"No worries. Did James cave and tell you?" Remus laughed.

"Only after Hestia asked why I wasn't in the hospital wing," he shrugged and Lily nodded.

"Thanks for believing in me," James muttered sarcastically, and Lily laughed, grabbing James' hand in hers and squeezing. James squeezed back harder and Lily's eyes narrowed. She squeezed back as hard as she could and James laughed, "Is that the best you can do Evans?" Lily shoved James and he laughed. Remus was watching them with a smile and James raised his eyebrows at him, "What?"

"Nothing! I'm just glad you guys are finally together," Remus smiled and turned to look at Sirius and Hestia, who were watching James and Lily with smiles on their faces, "and as you can see I'm not the only one."

When everyone had filed into the hall, Sirius took his arm away from around Hestia, "Pads…" Remus said, smirking. Sirius winked at him and stood up on top of the table. He pointed his wand to his throat and muttered 'Sonorous'.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, Teachers and Slytherins," Sirius' voice boomed, catching the attention of everyone, and earning chuckles from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, "I have an announcement to make," he said. Lily saw the teachers and Dumbledore concentrate on Sirius, "I would like to say that Lily Evans, your respected Head Girl, has _finally_ agreed to go out with my best mate, Marauder, and Head Boy James Potter!"

Lily blushed as the Great Hall erupted in applause, cheers and laughter. Lily looked up at the high table to see Dumbledore giving them a standing ovation and laughed. McGonagall was wiping at her eyes happily. Across the Great Hall, Severus had frozen and had tears forming in his eyes.

"My best mate, James Potter!" Sirius yelled, gesturing to James who laughed and climbed up on the table, and took a bow, much to everyone's amusement, "Lily Evans everyone!" Sirius yelled, gesturing to Lily, who blushed hard and shook her head, feeling everyone's eyes on her, "Go get her up on the table Prongs," Sirius said, turning to James, who laughed and bent over, offering Lily his hand. Lily shook her head resolutely, and James, rolled his eyes, and climbed off the table, scooping her up in his arms. Lily screamed, and everyone in the Great Hall erupted into even more laughter. James carried her and climbed on top of the table. Lily saw Dumbledore wolf-whistle and burst into laughter. James put her down on the table and the entire Gryffindor table gave them a standing ovation.

"Give her a kiss!" Frank yelled, and Lily saw Alice laugh and lean onto his shoulder. Lily blushed deep red and Sirius laughed.

"Professor?" Sirius yelled, turning to Dumbledore who beamed and nodded. Lily saw McGonagall smile and clap and Lily blushed even harder. James turned to Lily and spread his arms, and Lily shook her head.

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head, and everyone laughed. Sirius walked around them and pushed Lily into James' arms. James kissed Lily and then looked down at her, grinning. Lily blushed and laughed, trying to ignore the wolf whistling that was filling the Great Hall. James twirled Lily and took a bow, and Lily, laughing, joined James in his bow. When they stood up, Dumbledore and McGonagall were standing in front of them. Lily jumped off the table and James laughed, following slowly.

"All I can say is, _finally,_" McGonagall said, looking down at Lily sternly, and Lily grinned up at her. Dumbledore smiled.

"Now remember that conversation we almost had?" Dumbledore said sternly, and Lily and James turned red.

"It's fine Professor! We got the basic idea of the conversation," James laughed, and put his arm around Lily, who rolled her eyes.

Dumbledore grinned, winked at Sirius, and headed up to the high table. Lily turned around and glared at Sirius, "I am going to kill you Black," she growled, sitting down. Remus reached across the table and hi-fived Sirius, "I'm going to kill you all," Lily said, glaring at Remus who laughed.

"Be careful or she'll put you in detention," Alice said seriously, sitting down next to them, Frank on her other side.

"Nice one Frank," Gwenog said, sitting down next to Hestia, grinning at him. Frank took a mock bow, and James clapped him on the back, laughing.

"I'm going to go," Lily said, standing up, and Sirius laughed.

"Aw Lily-flower. I told you there was going to be a surprise," he said, smiling sweetly at her, and Lily grinned.

"I feel like I should pay you back," Lily said sweetly, and Sirius looked afraid. Lily got up onto the table.

"That's out of character," Remus said, watching Lily. Everyone in the Great Hall turned to look at Lily, who grinned down at Sirius. She pointed her wand at the ceiling, and a ribbon flew out of her wand. It floated high into the air, everyone's eyes following it, and twisted, forming words.

'_Sirius Black & Hestia Jones' _

The ribbon floated all the way to the top of the Hall, and floated into the ceiling. The ribbon exploded, and pieces of the ribbon flew all over the hall, landing on everyone's plates and forming the words. People clapped and gasped in awe, and Lily sat back down on her seat, to applause. Sirius was looking down at his plate, which was now pink and read 'Sirius Black & Hestia Jones'. He looked up at Lily, and grinned.

"Well played Evans," he laughed, reaching across to shake her hand, and Lily laughed, shaking his hand. James laughed and put his arm around Lily. Lily turned as Remus gasped, staring down at his plate, where little hearts had formed.

"This is incredible Lily," Remus said dumbly, shaking his head down at the plate. Lily shrugged and smiled.

"I have to go back to the dorm," she said suddenly, standing up, "I forgot the Charms essay," she said in answer to James' expression, "See you guys in Charms," she said, and turned to walk from the Hall.

"Ms. Evans!" Lily turned to see McGonagall swiftly walking over to her, "This is amazing," McGonagall breathed, holding out her plate. Lily grinned.

"Thank you."

"I am not joking, I have never seen this kind of magic," McGonagall said, "Have you considered working at the Prophet? You could do their design and layout. You would be incredible at it," she finished, looking up at Lily, who grinned.

"I hadn't thought of that," she said honestly, and McGonagall smiled.

"Consider it," she said, and with a warm smile, she walked back over to the high table, where even Flitwick was admiring his plate. Lily turned and headed to her dormitory, smiling and nodding at people as they yelled their 'congratulation' and their awe at her.

She walked up the marble staircase, and froze as she saw Severus standing at the top of the staircase. She groaned, and raised her wand.

"_Accio Charms Essay," _she said, and started to turn around.

"Lily wait," he said, running down to her.

"What do you want?" she asked, irritated. She saw her roll of parchment flying towards her, and reached her hand up to catch it.

"I wanted to say, um, congrats," Severus said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Oh," Lily said, slightly shocked, "thank you," she muttered, and turned around.

"What are you doing Snivellus?" Sirius asked, appearing at the bottom of the stairs.

"It's fine Black," Lily said, smiling down at Sirius, who looked at her expression, and calmed down. Sirius held out his elbow, and Lily laughed, linking elbows with him.

"Bye Lily," she heard Severus say quietly, and turned to give him a small smile, before walking onwards with Sirius.

"You do know Charms is up the stairs," Lily said, looking at Sirius, who laughed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do know that Lily-flower. I just didn't want to pass by Snivellus in fear of having the grease from his hair fly over and try to attack my gorgeous locks," he said, and Lily laughed.

"I don't see any gorgeous locks," Lily said, looking around Sirius' head.

"You must be blinded by my devilishly handsome face combined with my sexy body," he shrugged, and Lily laughed.

"Wow Black I think you're head is a bit inflated, it's a wonder your broom can ever lift off the floor," she said, and Sirius grinned at her.

"I think, since you haven't said that to James this year, you're using it on me, not wanting the melodic insult to die out," Sirius smirked, and Lily rolled her eyes, "And may I ask why you can't call me by my first name?"

"Are you serious?" Lily asked, looking at him.

"Yes I am, good girl," he said, and Lily laughed again.

"Sorry Sirius," she said, "habit." Sirius nodded in understanding, "now where are we going?" she asked, looking around at a corridor she didn't recognize.

"We're going my secret way to Charms," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes, "it's a great secret way by the way. It gets us there faster. This is why you never see the Marauders on the way to Charms. See you learn something new every day," Sirius said. Lily laughed again.

"We learn something new every day anyway," she corrected him, "We're at school remember?"

"Let me correct myself. You learn something useful everyday," he said, and Lily smacked him.

"School is useful!" she said, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yes okay Evans. School is useful. Happy?" he grinned and Lily grinned back, "Now I have an important matter to discuss with you," Sirius said seriously, "James has been in love with you for a long time, and now that you have said yes, he's flipped over the edge where I cannot save him," Sirius said turning to Lily, "Can I trust you not to hurt him?" he asked, looking at her seriously. Lily turned to Sirius, astonished.

"Of course! I, well, I really like him," she said quietly, "I think I've liked him since second year," she shrugged and Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"Then why didn't you say yes?"

"I don't know. Denial?" she said, and Sirius laughed, "Now I have a similar matter to discuss with you," she said, and Sirius looked at her, "If you hurt Hestia I will shatter that gorgeous face of yours," she said, turning to Sirius who grinned cheekily.

"I knew you thought I was gorgeous," he said, and Lily laughed, "And I promise not to hurt her. I like her," he shrugged, and Lily smiled.

"That's odd coming from you," she said, "Oh no! My bag is in the Great Hall!" she said, turning around, but Sirius rolled his eyes, pulling her bag out of his. She raised her eyebrows at his bag.

"Undetectable Extending Charm," he shrugged, and grinned at Lily, who rolled her eyes.

"I don't want to know," she said, covering her ears. Sirius grinned.

"You're not so bad Lily," he said happily.

"You're not so bad yourself Sirius," she grinned, and Sirius laughed.

"What's going on? Are you trying to steal my girlfriend?" James asked, grinning at Sirius, who rolled his eyes.

"Your girlfriend is gorgeous and all, but I'd rather have mine," he said, winking at Hestia who was not on Sirius' other side. Hestia rolled her eyes at him and turned to Lily with a grin.

"We need to _talk_" she said seriously, pushing her boyfriend out of the way and linking her elbow through Lily's.

"No, that's not fair!" James yelled, grabbing Lily's other arm. Lily laughed and untwined her elbow from Hestia's as Sirius made his way over to Hestia, wrapping his arms around her from the back. James wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders, and turned to grin at him.

"Well that was an eventful morning," she said, and James laughed, "first I find out how you and Sirius talk during detention, my relationship with you is announced to the whole school and I kiss you on top of the table, I charm everyone's plates to embarrass Sirius, I run into Severus, and I walk here with Sirius having a civilized conversation," she said, ticking everything off on her fingers, "I think you're having a bad influence on me," she concluded and grinned up at James who smiled back.

"What happened with Snape?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Nothing. He was on the staircase when I was going to get my charms essay, and then he said congrats, and then Sirius showed up," she shrugged and James smiled to himself.

"Since when is he Sirius?" James asked.

"He's never serious what are you talking about?" Lily asked, and James guffawed, "Since our conversation on the way here," she said, and James nodded.

"What did you guys talk about?" he asked.

"None of your business," she said, "It was between your boyfriend and your girlfriend. We had gossiping to do," she winked, and James grinned down at her.

"Lily!" Flitwick yelled as they entered the room, "This is spectacular!" he said, gesturing to the plate he had lying on his desk. Lily grinned and thanked Flitwick, sitting down next to Gwenog, who rolled her eyes.

"We're going to hear about how good you are at magic all day aren't we?" she whispered, as Flitwick started to talk to the class about how beautiful Lily's magic was.

Gwenogs' prediction turned out to be true. In every class they had that day, the teacher discussed Lily's amazing charms on the plates. Even Lily was getting sick of it. When their classes for the day were over, Lily and James headed off to their dorm together.

"Ah that was such a long day!" she whined, "Why was everyone gushing over the plates? It really wasn't so hard to do," she groaned, and James laughed.

"It really was amazing though Lils," he said, "My parents are Aurors, they bring home a lot of cool stuff, but I have never seen anything like that." Lily groaned.

"Not you too!" James laughed.

"I don't want to inflate your head my dear. You wouldn't be able to get out of bed in the morning," he said, winking at her, and Lily laughed, recognizing the insult as the one she had given him the last time he had asked her out in their sixth year. She shook her head in incredulity at how much things had changed since then.

The next few weeks went by uneventfully, and before they knew it, it was the weekend before Christmas holidays, the second Hogsmeade weekend. Lily and James were going to be leaving for Petunia's wedding in two days. The first Hogsmeade weekend, Lily, James, Hestia and Sirius had gone on a double date, as it was the first date for both of them. Remus and Gwenog were invited too, but Remus had stayed in the castle to visit the library, and Gwenog wanted to practice her Quidditch.

This second weekend however, Lily and James weren't going to double date with Sirius and Hestia. It was just going to be the two of them, as decided at the end of their first date. When Lily woke up on the morning of their Hogsmeade visit, she walked over to her cupboard, trying to decide on what to wear. She pulled out a pair of tight jeans, a white spaghetti top, to wear under an emerald long sleeved top, and a giant winter jacket and a scarf to go over it. It was already snowing outside, and Lily didn't want to get sick a week before Petunia's wedding. She tied her hair up in a knot and walked down the stairs to their common room, to see James wearing about as many layers as her. When he saw her, James grinned and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug.

"Morning!" he said cheerfully, pulling away from Lily, who frowned at him.

"Why so happy?" she asked, following James back to the sofa where he had been sitting.

"I got an invite," he said, gesturing to the letter in his hands. Lily grabbed the letter.

_James Potter,_

_Hello, my name is Petunia Evans. I am Lily's older sister. I understand you two are an item now (Lily told mum who told me when I asked) and I would like to say that I would be delighted if you would be able to come to my wedding in a weeks time with Lily. Say hello to Lily for me,_

_Petunia_

"She asked?" Lily said, frowning down at the letter. She had been convinced Petunia wanted nothing to do with her, and here she was sending a letter to a wizard. Had Petunia changed?

"See, she still cares about you," James said, smiling up at Lily. Lily grinned down at James.

"Lets go?" she asked, and James smiled, nodding, "I'm a bit nervous," Lily said truthfully, as they made their way down to the Great Hall.

"Why?" James asked incredulously, turning to look down at Lily.

"It's our first date with just the two of us!" she said breathlessly, and James grinned, "I mean, its something worth being nervous about you know!" James nodded, smiling, "Oh shut up," she said, shoving him, and he laughed. They reached the Entrance Hall and James saw Sirius and Hestia holding hands, walking in front of them. Hestia turned around and grinned.

"Lily!" she squealed, running over to her, "I cant believe you're going to be leaving in two days! Who am I going to talk to?" she whined, and stomped her foot. Alice was going to Franks house for the holidays, and Gwenog was going to Germany for a Quidditch tryout. Hestia was going to be staying at Hogwarts, as were Sirius and Remus. Peter was going to go home to visit his mum.

"I'm insulted!" Sirius gasped, walking over to clap James on the back, "Don't I count as someone?" he pouted and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Not the same," she said, and turned back to Lily, "What am I going to do?"

"We can write?" Lily said hopefully, and Hestia brightened a little.

"Of course we can! Okay I'm better now. Let's go Sirius," she said, turning to Sirius, "good luck guys!" she said over her shoulder as she and Sirius started to make their way out of the castle.

"You too!" James yelled back, and reached his hand out for Lily to hold it. Lily took his hand and started to leave the castle. Lily saw Avery watching them from a corner of the Entrance Hall, and inched closer to James, who, also noticing Avery, held Lily closer to him, "I hate him," he muttered and Lily sighed.

"Me too."

"Where do you want to go?" James asked, as they reached Hogsmeade. It was really cold outside, so they went into the Three Broomsticks, where they found most of the Hogwarts students who had come down to Hogsmeade. James and Lily found their own booth, and sat down close to each other, trying to keep warm.

They talked for a long time, and before they knew it, it had started to get late, and them, and Sirius and Hestia were the only Hogwarts students left in Hogsmeade. Sirius and Hestia came over to sit with them. After a few minutes, Lily, who had been staring into space, noticed the Butterbeer in her cup move.

"What was that?" she asked, jumping up. James, Sirius and Hestia looked at her as if she was going crazy, "I think we should go," she said earnestly down to James, who nodded and stood up. Sirius and Hestia, noticing how panicky Lily was, stood up and made to leave as well. Lily had a feeling something bad was going to happen. She moved quickly to the door of the pub, and pushed it open to see people fighting in the street. There were people in masks and Lily, realizing who they were, shut the door.

"Death Eaters," James managed to choke out, grabbing Lily's hand and pulling her close to him. The four of them drew their wands and looked around.

"This way," Lily turned to see the barkeeper, Madame Rosmarta, gesturing at them from the other side of the bar where they could see a door. The four of them hurried over, Sirius and James going backwards to make sure no one got them from behind.

They ran out of the door and found themselves on the road that led straight up to Hogwarts. They started to run up the path, when Hestia screamed. Lily and James turned to see Sirius dueling a masked wizard, who had jinxed Hestia. Lily rushed over, and picked Hestia up, pushing her in the direction of the castle. Hestia, however, pulled out her wand and blasted the Death Eater who was dueling Sirius backwards.

Sirius grabbed Hestia's hand and ran up to the castle, "Prongs, Lily let's go!" he yelled over his shoulder. James grabbed Lily's hand and followed after Sirius and Hestia.

"_Crucio!" _James turned as Lily was on the floor, writhing in agony. James pointed his wand at the Death Eater, and blasted him away. He fell to the floor next to Lily, as Sirius and Hestia ran back at the screams.

"Lils?" he asked, his voice hoarse. Lily was shaking and whimpering, "Lils?" he whispered, and Lily looked up at him. He felt relieved; he had heard of cases where after someone had been cruciated they couldn't function right for a few weeks, "Lils do you know who I am?" he asked, and Lily, understanding, nodded. James picked her up, and carefully put her back down on her feet, "can you walk?" Lily nodded, still shaking, and reached down to pick up her wand, her face pale.

"Let's get back," she said. They turned around to head back to the castle when James heard a pop, as someone apparated behind them. He turned quickly, and froze as he realized there were 5 Death Eaters behind him. The one who had cruciated Lily removed their mask, and James recognized Bellatrix Black, who had graduated from Hogwarts a couple years ago.

"Bella," Sirius said dangerously, holding Hestia behind him.

"Ah, look its my blood traitor cousin," she sneered, before turning to look at Lily. She pointed her wand at Lily, and Lily fell to the floor screaming again. The Death Eaters laughed and James made to curse them, but Sirius, Hestia and James had been put into Body-Bind curses. James felt helpless as he watched Lily scream in the snow, and saw a tear escape Hestia's frozen form.

"What have we here?" she sneered, walking over to Lily, "I remember you," she whispered, looking down at Lily, "mudblood." The Death Eaters snickered as Bellatrix lifted her spell, crouching down next to Lily, "I've always hated mudbloods," she said, as Lily whimpered in the snow, tears streaming down her face. James felt tears of anger and fear streak down his face, and saw Sirius pale next to him. Bellatrix walked over to the other Death Eaters, and James saw Lily clutch her wand firmly.

"Shall we finish her off?" she asked the Death Eater closest to her, who nodded eagerly. His hood fell off and James recognized the Death Eater as Lestrange, who, rumor had it, was getting married to Bellatrix. Bellatrix turned slowly and pointed her wand at Lily.

"_Avada-" _James felt a scream build up in his chest as he realized what was about to happen, and watched as Hestia fainted, and Sirius began to cry.

"_Reducto!" _he heard Lily scream, and watched as the five Death Eaters were blasted into a building, which collapsed on top of them. Lily pointed her wand at them weakly, and they were freed of their body bind curses. James fell to the floor beside Lily, and pulled her into his arms, feeling his tears seep into her jacket. Lily, shaking and crying, clutched on James's shoulders. Hestia fell down next to James, and hugged Lily from behind, crying. Sirius, who was still pale and crying, walked over to the bodies of the Death Eaters.

"_Petrificus Totalus" _he whispered, pointing to each of them individually, making sure they were frozen. He turned around and sank down next to Lily, staring at her with wide eyes. He pointed his wand at the castle, and a large dog burst out of the end of his wand, running up to the castle with a message for Dumbledore, "We should get her inside," he whispered, looking at Lily, and James nodded. He stood up, carrying Lily in his arms, and walked up to the castle. Sirius put his arms around Hestia, who was sobbing, and followed James.

When they reached the gates of Hogwarts, it was to see the teachers rushing out, following Sirius' patronus, which vanished as they reached Sirius. McGonagall, who was pale, rushed to Lily, who was still shaking and whimpering in James's arms. Dumbledore walked past James, clapping him on the shoulder, before walking up to Sirius and Hestia.

"Where?" Dumbledore asked. Sirius told them where the frozen Death Eaters were, and the other teachers rushed off out of the gates, wands drawn. Dumbledore patted Sirius on the shoulder and nodded at Hestia, "Take her to the hospital wing, she needs a calming draught," Sirius nodded, then looked worriedly at Lily, "Don't worry, I'll take care of her and James," Dumbledore said quietly. Sirius nodded and led Hestia towards James. Sirius stopped to put his hand on James's shoulder, and stroke Lily's hair, before leading Hestia up to the hospital wing.

The teachers returned, and Dumbledore sealed the gates and enchanted them, before walking over to James and Lily. James was still standing, holding Lily in his arms, tears leaking out of his eyes as he murmured soothing words to her. James looked up as Dumbledore approached, as did McGonagall, who was holding Lily's hand, "Bring her to my office please," Dumbledore whispered, and James followed after him obediently.

As they entered the castle, James saw Remus run down the stairs towards them, "I just saw Sirius," he said, pale, and looked down at Lily, "Lily are you alright?" he asked, looking down at Lily.

"Fantastic," she choked out, and Remus, James, Dumbledore and McGonagall chuckled in relief.

"Mr. Lupin, we must go now," McGonagall said soothingly, and Remus nodded.

"I have to go tell the others," he said, nodding at James, before running back up the stairs. They walked up to Dumbledore's office, and when they entered, James sat down in one of the chairs, Lily on his lap, refusing to let her go.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked gently, looking at James and Lily. McGonagall conjured up a sofa for them out of the other chair, and James moved onto it, laying Lily down so that her head was resting in his lap. McGonagall sat down in their recently vacated chair.

"We were in the Three Broomsticks," James started, rubbing Lily's arm because she was still shaking, "And Lily stood up suddenly saying we had to get out," Dumbledore held up a finger and looked down at Lily.

"Why did you think you had to get out?" he asked gently, and Lily looked up at him.

"I was staring into space, not really listening to what Hestia was talking about, and then I saw my Butterbeer shake inside the cup, and then I had a bad feeling, so I said we had to get out," she said quietly, and James rubbed her arm soothingly. Dumbledore nodded and turned back to James.

"Then what happened?"

"Well when Lily stood up we all did, and then we walked to the door of the Three Broomsticks and pulled it open to see people fighting in the street. Lily shut the door quickly and Madam Rosmarta, who was behind us, showed us the back exit. How specific do you want me to be?" James asked, snapping back to reality, looking up at Dumbledore.

"As specific as you can be," Dumbledore said, looking at James, who nodded.

"Anyway, so we ran out of the back exit, and outside, we started to run up to the castle, but Hestia screamed, so Lily and I turned around, to see Hestia in the snow, and Sirius dueling a Death Eater. Then Hestia stood up and blasted the Death Eater away, and we started run back to the castle, Lily and I were behind Sirius and Hestia. Then," James said, looking down, "I heard someone scream 'Crucio' and I heard Lily scream," James' voice was strangled, and he reached for Lily's hand, and continued, "I turned around and blasted the Death Eater away, and then made sure Lily was okay, I asked her a few questions, and realized she was okay, you know, mentally, and then I helped her up. She said she could walk so we started to go back to the castle, but then I heard someone apparate behind us, and turned to see five of them," James took a breath, and felt Lily squeeze his hand, "Then one of them took off their mask, Bellatrix, and called Sirius her blood traitor cousin, then pointed her wand at Lily and cruciated her again," James said, crying now, but continued on, "I tried to do something, but they had put body binding curses on Sirius, Hestia and I, so we could do nothing while Lily screamed on the floor," James said, his voice breaking, feeling Lily squeeze his hand again, "So then Bellatrix walked over to Lily and said she recognized her, and called her a mudblood. Then she walked back to Lestrange and asked if they should finish Lily off," James whispered. McGonagall was pale and Dumbledore looked as if he was going to be sick.

"How did you get out of that?" Dumbledore asked, looking from James to Lily. James looked down at Lily and smiled a little.

"Lily did it. I don't know how, but she did," he whispered, "Bellatrix had her wand pointed at Lily. She had said 'Avada' but then Lily screamed 'Reducto' and the five Death Eaters were blasted into the closest building, which collapsed on top of us, and then Lily released us from the body binding curses," James looked down at Lily, who looked up at him, tears in her eyes from reliving it.

"Then I collapsed next to Lily, as did Hestia. Sirius was the only one who was smart enough to go and freeze the Death Eaters, and then he sent the patronus, and told us we had to take Lily up to the castle, so I picked her up," James said, and wiped at a tear that had rolled down his cheek. James heard a sob, and turned to see McGonagall wiping her eyes on a handkerchief. Dumbledore stood up and walked around his desk, to crouch down next to Lily.

"Ms. Evans, I have never been prouder of a student," Dumbledore said quietly, "What you did required a lot of strength, and probably saved James, Sirius and Hestia's lives. I cannot possibly imagine what kind of pain you were in, but today I truly believe I made the right choice in Head Girl." Lily gave Dumbledore a small smile and Dumbledore smiled down at her, "Minerva, would you please escort Lily to the hospital wing?" Dumbledore said to McGonagall.

"I can take her," James said defiantly; he didn't want to be separated from Lily after her escaping a narrow death.

"I need to talk to you," Dumbledore said quietly, looking down at James, who nodded. He stood up and helped Lily up, pulling her into a hug.

"I'll see you in a bit, okay?" he said quietly to Lily, and Lily nodded. He kissed Lily on the forehead and handed her over to McGonagall, "She's really shaky," he said, and McGonagall smiled at him, supporting Lily as they walked out of Dumbledores office. James sunk back down onto the sofa and put his head in his hands, forgetting Dumbledore was there.

"James," Dumbledore said, sinking down on his chair behind the desk again, looking at James, "I am immensely proud of you," Dumbledore said, and James' head snapped up to look at him, "I know how much of pain you must've been in today. Especially after losing Alissa," Dumbledore said quietly, "I lost my sister, so I understand the misery that that throws a person into. And then to watch as the person you're in love with narrowly escapes death and gets tortured, I don't know how you managed it." James felt a sob escape his chest and covered his face with his hands, not wanting Dumbledore to see him cry.

Dumbledore walked over to sit next to James, and put his hand on his shoulder, "James, I know you've been questioning my decision in making you Head Boy since you received your letter. This is why. You think fast, and you can accept everything and move on," Dumbledore said quietly. James turned to look at Dumbledore, tears in his hazel eyes. Dumbledore conjured up a handkerchief and handed it to James, who took it gratefully and wiped his face.

"Do you think it's okay if Lily and I go to her sister's wedding with Lily in this state?" James asked Dumbledore, who nodded.

"I think what Lily needs right now is to get away from Hogwarts and away from the magical world for a few days. I think going to her sisters wedding will get her mind of this situation, and being surrounded by love can cause miracles," Dumbledore said, "You can love, James, and you love deeply. That's what differs you from Sirius and Remus, and why this effects you more than it effects them." James nodded and wiped his eyes and blew his nose on the handkerchief. He pointed his wand at it, cleaned it, and handed it back to Dumbledore who took it.

"I think you should leave tomorrow for Petunia's wedding," Dumbledore said, "I'll inform your teachers. Enjoy the wedding, and say Hi to your parents for me," Dumbledore smiled, and helped James up, "Now go to the hospital wing, where I'm sure you'll find all your friends." James nodded, shook Dumbledores hand, and walked out of the office. Once he was out of Dumbledores office, he started to run.

"James!" Sirius exclaimed, striding over to James to pull him into a manly hug, which James returned, "I'm so glad you're okay," Sirius whispered, and pulled away from James, nodding his head to a bed that had the curtains drawn, "Lily's in there. Madam Pomfrey said you'd be allowed to go in there." James nodded.

"How's Hestia?" he asked, and Sirius nodded to the bed opposite Lily's, where Hestia was sleeping.

"She was given a calming draught so she would stop hyperventilating, and then a sleeping draught because apparently sleep 'heals the mind'" Sirius rolled his eyes and James chuckled. He walked around Sirius and bumped into Gwenog and Alice.

"What happened!" they screamed simultaneously. James looked at Sirius who shook his head, looking at Hestia. James took a breath and re-explained what happened in Hogsmeade, and noticed as everyone, including the matron who stuck her head out from the curtain, turned to listen.

"I can't believe she was able to do that," Remus said, shaking his head, looking in the direction of Lily's bed. Alice was sobbing, and Frank wrapped his arms around her. Gwenog paled and turned to look at Lily's bed, and then at Hestia's. Peter, who was sitting at the foot of Hestia's bed, looked at the curtains of Lily's bed, his face pale.

"You can go in," James turned to see the matron looking at him. He smiled gratefully and moved past everyone to go near Lily's bed. The curtains were drawn behind him and he looked at Lily, who was sleeping. He grabbed her hand and held it.

"Dumbledore said we should go to Petunia's tomorrow," James whispered to the sleeping Lily. Lily nodded and James jumped, "You're awake!" he said, and he saw a smile split across Lily's face, and her eyes opened.

"Yes I'm awake. I was resting my eyes. So what time are we leaving tomorrow?" she said, turning to look at James. James shrugged.

"I guess whenever you're better," he said, and looked down at his watch, "It's late, you should go to sleep," he said, letting go of her hand.

"Don't leave me!" she whispered, grabbing his hand. James nodded, and squeezed her hand.

"I'm not going anywhere." Lily nodded, reassured, and closed her eyes. James sat there until Lily felt asleep, and the matron walked in.

"You should go now," she whispered to James, opening the curtain around Lily's bed. James looked around to see everyone still sitting there, "Visiting hours are over!" she announced, and everyone stood up, and shuffled out. James and Sirius were the last people left in the dorm.

"Send for me when she wakes up," James and Sirius said at the same time, and the matron nodded, "Lily and I are leaving in the morning," James said, and the matron nodded again, and shut the door to the hospital wing.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Sirius asked quietly. James nodded, he didn't want to be alone either. Remus turned around and walked back to them, standing in between them, putting his arms around both of their shoulders. Peter was already gone, and Alice, Gwenog and Frank had returned to Gryffindor Tower.

"I'll leave you two then," Remus said quietly, and started to walk away, but James grabbed his robes.

"Don't go. You can stay here too," James said quietly, and Remus nodded. The three boys entered the Heads dorm and James looked down at his invitation to Petunia's wedding. It was lying exactly where Lily had left it after reading it that morning. They walked up to James' room, and Remus conjured up two more beds so they could all sleep in the same room.

When they were drifting off, James heard a loud knocking. He sat up and walked down the spiral staircases in his boxers, Remus and Sirius dressed likewise following. He pulled open the door to the Heads Dormitory to see Severus Snape standing outside.

"What are you doing here Snivellus?" Sirius asked nastily, but Snape ignored him, and looked at James. James nodded.

"I'll be right back," James said, and ran up his staircase. He came back down dressed in sweat pants and a shirt. James slipped on his shoes, grabbed his wand, "I'll be back soon," he told Sirius and Remus, who nodded and shut the door.

"What happened?" Severus hissed. James looked around and pulled on his invisibility cloak which he had in his pocket, "What are you doing Potter?" Snape asked.

"I don't think it'd be smart if someone saw us walking together," James said, and Snape nodded, agreeing. James told Severus the whole story, and saw tears roll down his face.

"Thanks," Severus said simply, and turned around to walk away to his dorm. James walked back into the Heads dorm, slipped off his clothes, and jumped back into his bed, putting the cloak and his wand on his nightstand.

"What did he want?" Sirius yawned.

"He wanted to know what happened," James said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because he loves Lily," Remus said quietly, "It's obvious." James shook his head, not knowing how Remus knew everything, and drifted off to sleep.

James woke up and saw a silver beaver in his room. When the beaver saw that he was awake, it spoke in the matrons' voice, "They're both awake. You can leave from there, so pack," and it vanished. James rubbed his eyes.

"Padfoot! Moony!" he said, and the two of them sat up quickly, "They're both awake." Sirius jumped out of bed faster than Remus and James, and the three of them got dressed in silence, James in muggle clothes, as he would be going to Lily's parents house. He packed his stuff, and then walked into Lily's room, packing her stuff as well. He magicked both of their trunks to float in the air in front of him, and made his way out of the dorm with Sirius and Remus.

"We'll write and tell you what the holiday homework is," Remus said, and James nodded his thanks.

"Lily will appreciate that," he said and Remus chuckled. They reached the hospital wing and James dropped the trunks onto the floor. He had carried some clothes for Lily and he handed them to her. Lily and Hestia were sitting on Lily's bed, talking.

"Thanks," Lily said, and grinned at him. James was relieved to see she was back to her normal self. Lily got out of the bed and walked drew the curtains around her bed. Hestia walked over to Sirius and threw herself into his arms. Sirius hugged Hestia back and felt the knot that had been in his stomach since yesterday, loosen. Lily opened the curtains, dressed jeans and a black top, and wrapped her Gryffindor scarf around her neck. She walked over to James, and hugged him. James hugged her back and felt his eyes sting.

Lily walked over to Remus and hugged him, "See you later, take care," she said, and smiled at him. Remus squeezed Lily before releasing her. Sirius, letting go of Hestia, walked over to Lily and pulled her into a bear hug. Lily was shocked to feel tears on her shoulder. She pushed Sirius up and grinned up at him, "Seriously?" she smiled, and Sirius chuckled out a sob. He pulled her into a bone crushing hug and let her go, walking over to hug James, before walking over to Hestia. Hestia hugged Lily and James goodbye before walking over to Sirius to hold his hand.

Dumbledore, who had been in the matrons office, walked towards them and handed them a Portkey, "It will take you to Lily's backyard," Dumbledore said, and Lily smiled up at him, "Have a safe trip," Dumbledore said, walking around to put his hands on both of their shoulders. The Portkey started to glow and Dumbledore counted it down, "3…2…1."


	9. The Evans Family

**So it's exam week now! I'm going to be updating really slow, because I really need to study so enjoy this chapter. It's really long. **

**(:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the storyline**

_**Previously:**_

_There was an attack on Hogsmeade while Sirius, Hestia, James and Lily were there._

_James and Lily leave for Petunia's wedding_

They landed in a small, snow-covered garden, holding their trunks. They dropped the bottle, which had been used as their Portkey, and Lily lead the way into her house. She pushed open the sliding door that opened up into their living room, pulling her trunk in, and James followed. Lily led the way up the stairs to her room and they dumped their trunks on the floor. Lily took off her jacket and scarf, as did James. James looked around Lily's room; it was cozy. There was a bookshelf in the corner of the room which was overflowing with books, her dresser was against a wall, next to a door which James guessed led to a bathroom. Lily's wardrobe was next to the door to her room. James noticed that there was no desk.

"Desk?" he asked, looking around and Lily shrugged.

"I left when I was eleven. I didn't need a desk back then. And during the holidays I do my homework on the bed." James nodded and grinned at the collection of stuffed animals on Lily's bed, "I collect okay?" she said, and James laughed. Lily held out her hand and James took it, and Lily led him down the stairs, giving him a tour of the house.

They ended up in the kitchen and James' stomach grumbled, "I figured," Lily muttered as James sat down in one of the seats, while Lily walked over to a cupboard, "What do you want to eat?" she asked, looking at him, and James shrugged.

"Toast?" he asked, and Lily pulled out some bread. She walked over to the toaster and put two pieces of bread in it. She turned around and sat down in the chair next to James, leaning on his shoulder, "how are you feeling?" James asked, putting his arm around her.

"I don't know, it feels better to be at home, but I'm still a bit shocked," Lily said and James nodded, "how are you?" she asked, and James snorted.

"Nothing happened to me," he said, looking down at her but Lily shook her head.

"I know if I'd had to watch you get cruciated I wouldn't have been okay," Lily said quietly, and James felt his shoulders droop.

"It was horrible," he choked, and Lily squeezed his hand, "but I'm okay now that I know you're okay," he said, and Lily nodded. The toast was done and the toaster made a noise, and James jumped. Lily laughed and got up to get the toast, but James jumped up and ran to the toaster, fascinated, "What is that?"

"It's a toaster," Lily said, rolling her eyes. It seemed like something so simple but she realized that everyone who hadn't come from muggle families had never used a toaster or any electrical equipment.

"How do you use it?" James asked, picking the toaster up and examining it. Lily showed James how to use the toaster and he picked up a piece of bread and put it in the toaster.

"Don't waste bread!" Lily said when James added another piece of bread into the toaster. There were now four toasts. James ignored her and laughed again as the bread popped up out of the toaster. James turned around to look at Lily.

"I'm not wasting. I will eat them," James said determinedly, turning to narrow his eyes at Lily, who rolled her eyes. James grabbed his four toasts and sat down at the table, staring longingly at the toaster.

"I'll get you one when we're married," Lily said, laughing, and saw James freeze. She realized what she'd said and froze, "I-I didn't mean-" Lily stuttered, but James turned to look at her, a smile on his face.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked, looking at her intensely and Lily blushed. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, and watched James smirk, "Am I making you uncomfortable?" Lily snorted and stood up, walking over to the cupboard. She reached up, trying to reach for the cereal box, but her fingers barely grasped it.

She sighed, tied her hair in a knot, and started to climb up on the counter, but an arm stuck up from behind her, and grabbed the cereal box, putting it down on the counter in front of her. James turned Lily around and Lily found herself backed against the counter. He reached down to the back of her head, and pulled her hair out of the knot, and it cascaded gracefully onto her back and shoulders.

"I don't like your hair tied up," James said, running his hands through Lily's hair, and Lily felt her heart speed up. James grabbed Lily's hair, and leaned down to kiss her, but jumped back as he heard a noise. Lily knew that was the noise the bottom step made, and pushed James away from her quickly.

Jane Evans entered the kitchen in a fluffy pink bathrobe and fluffy slippers. She had her auburn hair tied up in a bun and rubbing her eyes. She stopped as she realized there were people in the kitchen.

"Sorry Tuney I didn't know you were awake!" she said, and turned around to walk out of the kitchen, but froze, and turned around to see Lily and James standing, watching her, amused, "Lily!" her mother squealed and ran at her daughter who laughed, and hugged her mother.

"Hi mum," Lily chuckled, patting her mother on the back. James looked at the mother and daughter, noticed how their hair seemed to blend together, being the same colour, and Lily was taller than her mother.

"I've missed you! Why are you here so early? Are you skipping school?" her mother asked worriedly, and Lily shook her head.

"No reason. We just came here early," she said, and her mother frowned at her. She turned around, noticing James, and squealed, pulling James into a hug.

"Oh it's so nice to meet you!" her mother squealed, and James looked over her head at Lily, who was looking at her mother with raised eyebrows; her mother had glared at Vernon the first time they had met, "James right?" she asked, pulling away from James, who smiled down at her and nodded.

"James Potter ma'am, nice to meet you," he said, holding his hand out, and Lily rolled her eyes. Her mother grinned up at James, and James noticed how her smile was nothing like Lily's, and her eyes were brown. Jane Evans shook hands with James and turned to Lily.

"He's cute," she mouthed, and Lily rolled her eyes, turning around to her cereal box. Lily's mum cleared her throat and turned back to James, who was looking at Lily, "Do you want breakfast?" she asked, turning to James, who grinned down at her.

"I have some toast," he said, gesturing to the stack of toast on his plate. Lily snorted and James grinned at her back.

"Some?" Jane said, turning to look at the stack of toast, "Why did you make so much?"

"James was having fun with the toaster," Lily said, walking around James and her mother to the fridge to get some milk for her cereal.

"Lily don't be rude," her mother chastised, and Lily scoffed. James had to hide a chuckle. Jane turned back to James, "I forget that you don't have to use toasters," she mused. James shrugged, "Do you want something to drink?" she asked politely.

"Juice would be good?" James asked, looking at Lily's mother, who nodded.

"We have orange, apple, kiwi, carrot, and mixed," she said, listing them on her fingers.

"Orange would be good," James said politely.

"Lily get James some juice," her mother said, walking around James and scuffing Lily's hair, "I have to go wake up your father and sister." Her mother walked out of the room and James started to laugh. Lily turned around to narrow her eyes at him, and James laughed harder. He walked over to Lily, shutting the fridge behind her, and pushed her against the fridge.

"What's wrong Lils?" James asked, teasing, "Does your mum like me better than you?" he asked, grinning at her, "Are you jealous?" Lily rolled her eyes and tried to push James away from her, but he wouldn't budge. Lily sighed.

"Move!" she whined, and James laughed at her, and shook his head.

"I don't want to," he muttered, leaning in to rest his forehead on hers, and Lily glared at him.

"I'm not jealous," Lily said rolling her eyes, "I just don't like the idea of having everyone in my family fall in love with you, thank you very much," she said, and James chuckled.

"Other than you, you mean?" he asked, and Lily scoffed. She started to move, and James stayed stationary once more.

"Can you _please _move?" Lily asked, and James sighed. He moved slowly and Lily rolled her eyes, pushing around him.

"I'll get you later," James muttered grumpily, and Lily laughed. Just then, Lily's mother entered with her father. Jane grinned at James, and Lily had to control herself from rolling her eyes. Her father walked over to James and held out his hand.

"Andrew Evans," he said, holding his hand out to James, who shook it with a charming smile on his face.

"James Potter, pleasure to meet you," James said in a charming voice. Andrew gave James a small smile and Lily was pleased to see that James' charm wasn't going to help her father fall in love with him. Andrew turned to Lily who was facing away from them, pouring milk into her cereal.

When Lily put her bowl down, Andrew grabbed her around the middle from behind and lifted her up, "Lilykins!" he yelled happily, and Lily screamed, slapping her fathers' hands, much to James and Jane's amusement. Andrew put her down and Lily, laughing, turned around to hug her father, "Ah I've missed you!" he yelled, "I've been stuck in this house with your mother for so long!" he whispered miserably and Lily laughed.

"I feel your pain," she said seriously, and her father grinned, ruffling her hair. He turned to his wife and grinned at her.

"What?" she asked, and he shook his head, winking at Lily.

"Where's Petunia?" he asked, looking around, and, right on cue, Petunia stumbled into the kitchen in her pajamas; short shorts and a spaghetti top. Petunia blinked up at the crowded kitchen, looking from her parents, to her sister, and finally to James. Petunia's eyes widened as she saw James, looked down at her outfit, and walked out swiftly. Lily snorted and James, her mother, and her father turned to look at her questioningly. Lily put her bowl of cereal down and walked towards the door of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" James asked, watching Lily, who turned around to grin at him, before walking out of the kitchen after her sister, "girls," James muttered, shaking his head, forgetting about Lily's parents, and Lily's father laughed.

"I couldn't agree more," Andrew chuckled, and clapped James on the shoulder, "What's it like in the magic world? Are there any sports?" he asked curiously, sitting down at a chair, and James grinned, sitting down on his own, and began talking to Lily's father about Quidditch. Andrew's eyes widened and a look of wonder crossed his face, and James found himself explaining every aspect of his favourite sport.

"Hi Tuney," Lily said nervously, walking into Petunia's room, as Petunia was pulling on a new top. Petunia turned around to see her sister standing in the doorway, paler than usual, and turned to frown at her.

"You didn't tell me your boyfriend was hot," she said, and Lily laughed, "Some warning would have been nice," Petunia said, turning back to the mirror to fix her hair, "Walking downstairs in my most inappropriate pajamas is not how I want a hot guy to see me for the first time," she grumbled, and Lily smiled. Petunia looked at her sister in the mirror and felt worried at how sallow Lily's skin was, "Lily is everything okay?" Petunia said, turning to look at Lily, who looked up, shocked.

"Did you just call me Lily?" she asked, astonished.

"Well that is your name isn't it?" she scoffed, and Lily shook her head.

"That's not what I mean-"

"I know what you mean," Petunia said quietly, "I miss my sister alright? And I wanted you to be around for my wedding. And I miss what we used to be," Petunia said the last line quietly, and Lily felt her eyes glaze, "Oh don't cry!" Petunia whined, throwing her hairbrush at Lily, who ducked and laughed.

"I wasn't crying," Lily said, and Petunia frowned again.

"Seriously Lily, what's wrong?" she asked, walking over to Lily to look more closely at her face. Petunia was taller than Lily, but not tall enough to look down at her.

"What do you mean what's wrong I'm fine," Lily said, and Petunia frowned as her voice rose in pitch.

"I'll get it out of you sooner or later," she said, and Lily looked down at the floor. Petunia sighed and linked her arm through Lily's for the first time in years, "Let's go. I want to be formally introduced to your boyfriend," Petunia winked, and Lily grinned.

"Don't forget about your wedding," Lily said, rolling her eyes, and Petunia laughed. The two girls entered the kitchen and Lily walked over to James, who was discussing Quidditch, and tapped him on the shoulder. James looked up at Lily and grinned.

"Hey Lils," he said, and Lily smiled down at him. Andrew and Jane Evans looked at each other with grins on their faces as they watched Lily and her boyfriend.

"I want to introduce you to my sister," Lily said, and James nodded, "This is Petunia, my older sister," she said gesturing to Petunia, and then turned to Petunia, "Tuney, this is my boyfriend James Potter," she said, and James stood up, holding his hand out to Petunia, who shook it. James smiled at Petunia charmingly and Lily saw Petunia, just like her mother, swoon, and rolled her eyes.

"What time is it?" Petunia asked, looking at her mother, who looked down at her watch.

"It's 8," her mother said, and Petunia's eyes widened.

"Already! I have to go meet Vernon!" she said, waved at everyone, and walked out the door. Lily turned to look at her parents, who looked irritated.

"At 8 in the morning?" she asked incredulously and her mother rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Just because you hate mornings doesn't make them evil Lils," James said, and Lily blushed as her parents laughed. Lily glared at James and turned around to walk out of the kitchen.

"Lilykins are you feeling okay?" her mother asked, following after her. Lily turned around to see her mother looking at her face with concern. Andrew followed after Jane and walked up to Lily.

"Sweetie your face looks sallow," he said, looking at Lily, and Lily watched as James' face paled. Lily looked at James, who looked back at her, panicked. Lily sighed and looked her parents in the eye.

"James will tell you," she whispered, and her parents turned to look at James, who's eyes widened.

"No Lils I cant say it again," he said, looking down and shaking his head.

"Tell us later when you're ready," her father said, silencing her mother, who was about to protest, with a glance, "where's your stuff?" he asked, looking from James to Lily.

"In my room," Lily said and her father nodded.

"You should probably get ready. Petunia's wedding is in a couple days and you shouldn't have to worry about unpacking. We're going out to the store to buy a few things," he said, and grinned at them, "Behave," he said, before grabbing his car keys, and steering his wife out of the house. James and Lily stood there until they heard the car roll out of the driveway, before Lily grinned at James.

"Why are we always left alone together?" she asked, and James grinned at her, taking a step towards her.

"Well it's about time," he said, taking another step towards her, and Lily screamed, and ran up the stairs. She heard James' footsteps behind her and she ran into her room, shutting the door behind her. James tried to push the door open but Lily was leaning against the door, pushing it closed, "I'll get in there soon Evans," he growled, and Lily laughed. James stopped pushing the door and Lily stood up. As soon as she relieved pressure from the door, James pushed it open and Lily screamed. James picked her up and held her over his shoulder like a fireman. He dropped her on the bed and lay on top of her, and Lily laughed, "I win," he said, grinning down at her. Lily rolled her eyes.

"If there were wands involved I would win," she said, winking at James, who rolled his eyes. He knew it was true, but didn't want to admit it. James leaned down and kissed Lily, before getting up. Lily grabbed his shirt and pulled him down, "I wasn't done," she said, and James chuckled before kissing her again. Lily turned her head to the side, deepening the kiss, and James, who was holding himself up to keep his weight off of Lily, dropped himself on her wrapping his arms around her. James pushed himself up when they were done, and lay down next to her.

"Your bed is really comfortable," he said, stretching his arms over his head. Lily grinned.

"I know right?" she said, turning onto her stomach so she could look at James. James grabbed a lock of her long hair and started playing with it with his fingers, "James are you alright?" Lily asked worriedly, watching James play with her hair. He sighed and looked up at her with a grin, but Lily noticed how the smile didn't reach his eyes, "James what's wrong?" she asked, leaning her head down and resting her chin on his chest. James kept playing with her hair so Lily tied her hair into a knot, keeping her hair as far away from him as possible, "James."

Lily picked herself up so she could kiss James, who kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her. Lily deepened the kiss and James responded enthusiastically. Lily pulled away from him and sat up, and he looked at her, confused.

"You will not get to kiss or touch me until you tell me what's wrong," Lily said, moving over to the other side of the bed, and looking down at James, pulling her knees up under her chin. James laughed and sat up, running a hand through his hair. He shifted closer to Lily and reached behind her, untying her hair. He held on of the locks that fell to the front in his fingers and started to play with it, taking a deep breath.

"I'm scared," he said quietly, "I'm not scared of Voldemort or the Death Eaters, I'm scared of them hurting you, and me losing you," he said, looking up at her, "I know we've only been strictly dating for about two months, but I've fancied you longer," he said, looking down at the lock of her hair, "And I keep thinking about what happened that day in Hogsmeade, and I think of how close I was to losing you, and how I couldn't do anything about it," he whispered the last line and Lily put her finger under his chin, pulling his face up.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling at him, "See? I'm talking, I'm laughing, I'm walking around, I'm snogging you," James chuckled and she continued on, "I can't promise nothing is ever going to happen, but I can promise you that I have no plans of ever leaving you," she said, looking up at him to see him looking into her eyes, "and about Hogsmeade, we made it out alive, and that's all that matters," she said, and James nodded, "And there's nothing we can do except protect each other, be there for each other, and fight it in any way we can," she said, "and now you have my permission to kiss me," she said, and James grinned.

He started to lean towards her but Lily leaned back, looking at him slyly, "Just because you have permission doesn't mean you can do it _now_," she said, rolling her eyes, and James rolled his eyes. He pulled her towards him by the lock of hair he was holding, "Ow!" she screamed, clutching her hair, but James ignored her and planted a kiss on her. He felt Lily smile against his lips and he smiled as well. Lily lay down on top of him and James felt his heart beat faster. He moved his hands to Lily's waist and flipped them over so that he was lying on top of her.

"Touché," Lily grinned, and James grinned back before continuing to kiss her. Lily moved her hands to his stomach and crept her hands underneath his shirt. James, realizing what she wanted, pulled his shirt off and Lily let her hands roam around James' stomach and chest. James pulled Lily's scarf off, and moved his lips to her neck. Lily put her hands in James' hair and pulled on it. James moved his mouth back to Lily's and Lily bit down on James' lower lip, feeling satisfied when he moaned. James pulled away from Lily and sat up, looking at her with slightly dazed eyes, "What?" Lily asked, sitting up. She realized she wasn't wearing a shirt and glared at James, blushing furiously, "When did you take my shirt off?" she asked, and James grinned at her cheekily.

"I'd apologize but I don't want to," he shrugged, looking at a shirtless Lily, who, feeling self conscious, looked around for her shirt. She found it on the floor on the other side of her room. She pushed herself off the bed and walked towards her shirt, which was lying in front of her wardrobe, but couldn't lean down to pick it up because James was suddenly behind her. He twisted her around, "There's a reason I took that off you know," he said, and Lily blushed harder. Lily rolled her eyes and tried to bend down to pick it up, but James picked her up so she was eye to eye with him. Lily wrapped her legs around his waist, holding herself up, not wanting James to have to carry her.

"You're the one who stopped," she pointed out, twirling James' hair at the base of his neck in her fingers.

"Well I did it because at the rate we were going we weren't likely to stop, and I don't think your parents would appreciate it very much if they came home to see their Lily-flower no longer innocent," he winked, and Lily blushed. James kissed her again, and set her down on her feet. Lily reached down for her shirt and straightened it out. James took the shirt from her and threw it on the floor. He picked her up and put her on the bed, and walked back to her wardrobe, opening it. He pulled out a red spaghetti top and handed it to Lily, who shook her head.

"I can't wear that it clashes with my hair," she said, and James rolled his eyes, throwing it at her anyway.

"I don't care. I like red." Lily rolled her eyes and put the spaghetti on. She reached onto the floor for James' shirt where he had thrown it, and she picked it up. James reached his hand out for the shirt but Lily shook her head. She put the shirt under her pillow and sat on it, grinning at James.

"I will come get that Evans," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes. James jumped onto the bed, and Lily screamed. He tickled her and reached under her for the shirt, "Success!" he yelled as he got the shirt out from under her and Lily narrowed her eyes at him, and James laughed happily.

"Someone's in a good mood," she smirked and James winked at her.

"I enjoy a good snog Evans, keep that in mind." Lily rolled her eyes and got off the bed, tying her hair in a knot.

"Want the official house tour?" she asked, gesturing to the door of her room.

"I'd rather do something else," he said, pulling her hair out of the knot she had tied it in, smirking down at her, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"C'mon Potter," she said, pulling on his hand. After she gave him the house tour, Lily and James sat down on the sofa in the television room. Lily was showing James the magic of the television, and James was looking at it, fascinated.

"Muggles are amazing," he muttered, watching the screen, mesmerized. Lily rolled her eyes and got up to walk over to their cabinet of movies, "What are you doing?" he asked, watching Lily.

"We're going to watch Cinderella," she grinned, and James smiled at her.

"The book?" he asked excitedly.

"It's been made into a movie," she said, putting the cassette into the VCR. Her parents got back home to see Lily sitting on James' lap, watching Cinderella.

"Hey kids," her father said, walking in while Jane put the groceries into various places in the kitchen. Andrew walked over to see what was on the TV and snorted, "Cinderella? Really?" he said, looking down at Lily, "What are you, 5?" Lily stuck her tongue out at her father, and James laughed.

"I'm going to go help mum," Lily said, and left to go to the kitchen. Jane had her head in the fridge, sorting it, "Hey mum," Lily said, and Jane turned to see Lily dressed in shorts and a spaghetti.

"Hi sweetheart," her mother said, walking over to the kitchen to grab more groceries.

"Want some help?" Lily asked, watching her mother and her mother shook her head.

"Just organizing," she said, and Lily smiled at her.

"I could do that in a second," Lily pointed out, and pulled out her wand. Her mother looked at the wand and raised her eyebrows.

"You're going to organize my fridge with magic?" Lily nodded and her mother grinned.

"Excellent. I've always wanted to see you use magic." Lily waved her wand at the groceries and Jane watched in awe as her groceries flew around her kitchen, flying into the cupboards and drawers they belonged. The fridge door shut when the process was over and Jane ran to the fridge excitedly to see everything organized by category, "That's amazing!" her mother breathed, smiling at Lily, "Can you do the dishes as well?" Lily rolled her eyes and waved her wand at the dishes in the sink, and Jane watched in wonder as the tap turned on and the sponge and plates moved of their own accord. Once the plates were done, they flew into the cupboard over the sink where they stored the plates. Her mother shook her head and walked over to Lily, holding her hand, "Let's go see what the men are up to," she said, grinning, and Lily smiled.

They walked to the TV room and Lily saw James explaining the mechanics of a broom with gusto. She groaned and sank down on the sofa next to James who turned to narrow his eyes at her, "Just because you don't like Quidditch," he said, and Lily turned to look at him.

"It's not that I don't like Quidditch, I really like it actually. I just don't like hearing you boys constantly discuss it," she said, rolling her eyes, and James rolled his eyes back at her, making her laugh.

"Girls," Andrew said, rolling his eyes at James, who grinned.

"Exactly," James said, earning himself a slap in the arm from Lily, "Anyway, as I was saying," he began but then the doorbell rang downstairs.

"Oh no she must've brought Vernon!" Jane groaned, and turned to Lily, "You should probably go change into something fancier," she said, and turned to James, "You too if possible, Vernon's very" her mother didn't finish that sentence, but left the room to open the door.

"Irritating," Andrew finished for her, and rolled his eyes. Lily smacked her father on the arm and Andrew turned to her, "I am not even joking Lilykins. Good luck," he said, patting James knee as he stood up.

"We should go change," Lily said, getting up and James stood up, looking at the TV.

"How do we switch it off?" he asked, and Lily laughed and pressed the button on the television. The two of ran to Lily's room quietly and shut the door behind them.

"What do I wear?" Lily hissed, throwing open her wardrobe. James walked behind her and pulled out a pair of tight, dark denim Capri pants and a white button down, capped sleeved top. Lily turned to grin at James and turned to look at him. She pointed her wand at his shirt, which turned into a pale blue button down shirt, rolled up to the elbows, and she left his jeans as they were.

"Thanks," James grinned, and Lily turned to walk into her bathroom. She changed quickly and walked out, tying her hair up. James groaned and tried to untie her hair but Lily ducked and grabbed his hand.

"Let's go," she said, and took a deep breath, before walking down the stairs, "Where are they?" she whispered, and James nodded towards the dining room, where they could distinctly hear voices. Lily grabbed onto James' hand tighter and walked into the dining room to see what looked like a whale, sitting next to her sister.

"Lily, this is Vernon," Petunia said, and Lily held out her hand, but Vernon ignored it, and grunted. James, angry, opened his mouth to say something to Vernon, but Lily stepped on his foot, and he snapped his mouth shut.

"Vernon, this is my boyfriend James Potter," Lily said politely, and James didn't bother to hold out his hand, but stiffly nodded at Vernon, who didn't even grunt. Lily turned to look at her parents, who looked at her apologetically. Lily took James' hand and pulled him to the other side of the table, and pushed him down into his seat so he wouldn't do anything stupid. She took her seat next to her father, sitting at one end of the table, and James sat next to her mother at the other end of the table; there were only 6 chairs.

There was an awkward silence before Lily cleared her throat, "So, Vernon, what's your last name?" she asked politely, and Vernon looked up at her, irritated.

"Dursley," he grunted. Lily heard him mutter, "Doesn't even know her sisters fiancée's last name, these people," and Lily felt her jaw clench, as well as James'. She squeezed James' hand and he turned to look at her, seeing her clenched jaw, and looked down at the floor; he didn't want to cause any more trouble between Lily and her sister.

"What do you do?" she asked again, and she saw her mother mouth 'thank you' to her and she nodded slightly.

"I work at this business called Grunnings, we deal with drills," he said, "It's one of the most prestigious drill companies in England," he said proudly, "my father founded the company." Lily nodded politely.

"So I take it you like working with drills?"

"Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn't work with them," Vernon said, rolling his eyes, and Lily's eyes narrowed. She felt her father rub her hand soothingly, and she took a deep breath.

"Of course, how silly of me," she said, and ignored Vernons' snort, "Do you plan to continue working at, erm, Grunnings?"

"Yes I do. I hope I'll be promoted to management soon, and at the rate I'm working, I wont have to wait long." Lily stifled an eye-roll, deciding she didn't like Vernon at all. She turned to look pleadingly at James, who shook his head, not wanting anything to do with Vernon.

"Where are you taking Tuney on your honeymoon?" she asked, and Vernon looked up at her.

"It's Petunia, I don't approve of nicknames," he said rudely, and Lily, taken aback, felt her anger bubble up.

"Well I'm sorry but I've been _Tuney's_ sister longer than you've been her fiancée so I'm not going to stop calling her that because you don't approve of nicknames," Lily said irritated, and she saw her father grin out of the corner of her eye. Andrew knew of Lily's temper, and he had always found it amusing how well she fit to the redhead stereotype. She saw James bite his lip and stepped on his foot, and saw him cover up a chuckle with a cough.

"Well as she will be my wife in a few days, and will cease from ever seeing you and your lot again, I guess it doesn't matter what you call her," Vernon shrugged, and Lily, James, Andrew, Jane and even Petunia froze, turning to look at Vernon.

"What do you mean she will 'cease' from every seeing me and my lot again?" Lily hissed. Jane, who would have usually yelled at Lily for being so rude, was glaring at Vernon.

"You and your lot, the freaks," Vernon shrugged, and Lily stood up, her chair scraping the floor, making a screeching noise.

"I think we should have dinner," Petunia squeaked, looking at Lily's pocket, where she knew Lily's wand was, with a terrified expression. Jane stood up and walked into the kitchen, to prepare the dinner.

"I'm going to go help mum," Lily said and stormed out of the dining room. James followed after Lily, not wanting to stay in Vernon's company, for Vernons safety. He walked into the kitchen to see Jane hugging Lily, rubbing her back soothingly. James walked over to them and Jane pushed Lily towards him gently, turning around to gather the plates and the food.

Lily wasn't crying, but she was so angry that tears were escaping her eyes, and James picked her up, setting her down on the kitchen counter, "He's just a stupid muggle Lily," James said quietly, "it doesn't matter what he says." Lily shook her head and looked up at him.

"You think he's really going to make me stop seeing Tuney?" she asked, and James looked at her, feeling helpless.

"I don't know Lils, but I do know it doesn't matter what he says. She's your sister and you can go talk to her whenever you want. And you're Petunia's sister, and I know she cares for you, even if she pretends to not like you," he said, and Lily nodded, "Lily I lost a sister," he said, and Lily saw her mother turn around to look at him with wide eyes, "I fought with her all the time and we didn't talk for weeks at a time, but I always loved her, even during our fights," he said, and Lily smiled at him, "better?" he asked, and Lily nodded.

"You lost a sister?" Jane said quietly, and James turned around to face her, and nodded.

"A year ago, she was killed," he said, and Jane nodded sympathetically. James turned back to Lily and Lily saw her mother look at her and mouth 'tell me later'. James helped Lily off the counter and Lily turned to watch her mother try to pick the plates up.

"Oh for the love of Merlin," Lily grumbled. She pulled her wand out and pointed it at the plates, and food. Her mother turned to grin at her, and Lily rolled her eyes, and directed the plates and food to the dining table. Lily felt elated as she watched Vernons terrified expression as the food and plates flew into the room, and landed on the table, perfectly organized. Andrew was trying hard not to laugh, but was watching the plates and food in wonder.

"Utensils?" her father asked, and Lily grinned, and pointed her wand at the kitchen as her mother and James took a seat. Forks, knives and spoons flew into the room, as did glasses, a jug of water, and a bottle of wine. She sat down next to James, and grinned at Vernon, who was looking at her wand fearfully. Lily put the wand in her pocket and grinned at her father, who winked at her, enjoying watching Vernon panic.

"Potatoes Vernon?" Lily asked innocently, offering him the dish of potatoes, and James, Jane and Andrew had to bite back laughs. Lily saw Petunia's mouth twitch, and when Lily caught her eye, Petunia looked away quickly. Dinner was a quiet affair, and when they were done, Lily directed all the stuff on the table to go back to the kitchen, and James made them arrange themselves and made the dishes wash themselves.

"So James, what careers are you thinking of going out for after Hogwarts?" Andrew asked, turning to James, and Lily watched Vernon flinch at the word Hogwarts.

"You people have careers?" Vernon snorted.

"Yes as a matter of fact Vernon, they're probably a lot harder and more _interesting _than working with drills," James said, and Lily bit her lip.

"You people cant deal with responsibility," Vernon scoffed, and Lily felt her jaw clench, "I mean look at Petunia's sister," he said, gesturing to Lily who raised her eyebrows.

"Petunia's sister? My name is Lily, and if you're not going to call me that I would prefer if you didn't address me at all," Lily said, and watched as her father smirked. She kicked her father under the table and watched him roll his eyes, amused, "And what do you mean I can't deal with responsibility?"

"Never mind," Vernon muttered, rolling his eyes. Lily pulled her wand out of her pocket, and James grabbed her wrist under the table, stopping her.

"What's your favourite subject?" Jane asked, turning to look at James, who raised his eyebrows.

"Well, I like all my classes, but I'd have to say my two favorites are Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts," James said, and Jane nodded, knowing about those classes, having heard about them from Lily.

"Charms," Vernon scoffed, and James closed his eyes, trying to find patience.

"So Vernon, have you thought about the wedding?" James asked, attempting to be polite.

"It's going to be spectacular, and I don't have to pay a single dime as the brides parents arrange everything," he shrugged, and Lily's face turned red. Andrew patted her hand gently and Lily looked at both of her parents, realizing they looked quite stressed. She was about to say something, but James squeezed her hand, and she shut her mouth. It was quiet for a few minutes before Vernon stood up, "I'm going to leave now, Petunia come with me, I don't want you surrounded by such company longer than you have to be."

Lily had had enough and stood up, pulling out her wand, which shot red sparks. Vernon froze, and Lily turned her gaze on Petunia, who was watching Vernon fearfully. Lily felt a sinking feeling as she realized her sister was in love with Vernon. Lily sighed and lowered her wand, and looked up at Vernon, "I'm sorry," she said and held her hand out to him, "Truce?" Vernon looked down at her hand and narrowed his eyes at him, and Lily lowered her hand slowly. James stood up and opened his mouth to yell at Vernon, but Lily put her hand on his mouth, and James looked down at her incredulously.

"It's a shame we couldn't get along Vernon," Lily said icily, and started to walk out of the dining room, but stopped, and turned around to look at Petunia.

"Petunia let's go," Vernon said, standing up and holding his hand out to her, "Or do you want to stay here and hang around with this riff-raff?" he asked, nodding at Lily. Lily ignored Vernon, James' hiss, and her parents narrowed eyes, and looked at Petunia.

Petunia looked back at Lily, and Lily felt her heart shatter as she realized what her sister's decision was. Petunia stood up slowly, still looking at Lily, and Lily saw Petunia's eyes fill with tears. Once Petunia took Vernons hand, they wouldn't ever be able to be the sisters they used to be. Petunia took Vernon's hand, and with another long glance at Lily, let Vernon lead her from the room. They stayed frozen as they heard Vernons car back out of the driveway, and James stood up slowly to walk over to Lily. Lily turned to look at James with tears in her eyes, and James opened his arms, an invitation. Lily threw herself into James' arms and broke down. James hugged Lily tightly, letting her cry into his shirt.

"Lilykins," Andrew said, walking up to Lily, and putting his hand on top of her head, "It's not worth crying over," he said quietly, and Lily looked up, still in James' arms, her face wet. Andrew wiped Lily's tears with his handkerchief, like he used to do when she was little, and gave her a small smile. They heard a choking sound, and turned to see Jane rocking back and forth in her chair, crying. Lily had never seen her mother cry, and she walked towards her, but Jane stood up, and walked over to Lily, pulling her into a motherly hug.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Andrew looked after her and made to follow her, but stopped abruptly.

"James, do you mind sleeping on the floor in Lily's room for tonight? Your room isn't ready yet," he said, and James shook his head with a smile, "I'm sorry you had to witness that," Andrew added quietly, before heading up the stairs after his wife. James put his arm around Lily and led her up to her room.

When they reached Lily's room, Lily flicked the light on, and allowed James to steer her to her bed. James pulled Lily into his lap and looked at her, but Lily shook her head, "I don't want to cry anymore," she said quietly, and James nodded, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"I think I found someone I hate more than Avery," James muttered, and Lily chuckled.

"No I don't think he deserves that much honour," she said, rolling her eyes, and James chuckled.

"Why did you let him off the hook?" James asked quietly.

"Because I saw the way Tuney, I mean, Petunia, was looking at him," she whispered, looking down at the carpet, "It's the same way mum looks at dad, the way Hestia looks at Sirius, the way I look at you," she said, and shrugged, "Petunia loves him, and if he's what she wants, well, I love her enough to let her go," she said quietly, and James gave her a small smile.

"That's incredibly mature of you," he said, and Lily laughed, leaning on James' shoulder, tucking her face into the crook of his neck, "Lils that tickles," James said, his voice sounding strained, and Lily laughed.

"You're ticklish on your neck?" she giggled, and James rolled his eyes.

"You're ticklish everywhere else," he muttered, and Lily rolled her eyes. She wiggled her fingers by his neck and laughed as James turned his head to the side, trapping her hand, "That's not funny Evans," he said, and Lily laughed again.

"Quite the contrary, I think it's hilarious," she shrugged, and James rolled his eyes. Just then, the door to Lily's room opened and Jane and Andrew walked in, "Hi," Lily smiled at her parents, and her parents smiled back, glad to see she was okay.

"We wanted to talk to you about Petunia," her mother said quietly, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Lily pointed her wand at the door and it shut behind her parents, and conjured up a sofa in front of her bed, "I'm never going to get used to that," her mother muttered, and sat down on the sofa in front of James and Lily, Andrew seating himself next to her, "I want to apologize to you, Lily, because you didn't get the big sister that you were promised," her mother whispered, and Lily looked down at her, shocked.

"Mum it's not your fault," Lily said quietly, but her father shook his head.

"It's nobody's fault that Petunia has made her own decisions, and that you have made yours," her father said, looking at her, "but I have seen how hard you've been trying to win your big sister back, and to be honest, I don't think she deserves the time and energy anymore," Andrew said, and Lily saw her mother's eyes water, but she nodded in agreement.

"Lily the big sister that you had before you turned eleven is gone," her mother whispered, "And I think it would be best if you stopped trying to find her." Lily nodded and James rubbed circles on her back soothingly.

"First Hogsmeade, now this," Lily said quietly, and James' hand stopped at the mention of Hogsmeade.

"Hogsmeade? You mean the town that you go to some weekends? What happened?" Andrew asked, and Lily felt James stiffen beside her. Lily sighed, before looking at her parents.

"You remember how I told you about the dark wizard?" Lily asked and her parents nodded, "and his followers?" her parents nodded again, "they attacked Hogsmeade while we there," she said, and she saw her parents faces drain.

"Is that why you look unwell?" her mother said quietly, and Lily nodded.

"I was in hospital after the attack, and the second I got released we came here," Lily said, and she heard her dad intake air sharply.

"You mean the attack happened yesterday?" he asked quietly, and Lily nodded. She slid off James, who stood up.

"I don't want to listen to this again," he said quietly, looking at Lily, who nodded sympathetically, "I'm going to go watch TV if that's alright with you?" he said, looking around, receiving nods. He was about to leave then turned around to look at Lily who rolled her eyes.

"Pick up the remote, the black box with lots of buttons, and press the red button on top and the TV will switch on. You can use the arrow buttons to choose different channels, and if you want to watch a movie, press the yellow button and put one in, taking out Cinderella first," she said, and her parents chuckled. James nodded, and grinned, and walked out of the room.

"Why doesn't he want to hear it again?" her mother asked.

"Because it was terrible," Lily whispered, "We were in Hogsmeade and, when we got up to leave this café like place, we opened the door to see the Death Eaters, his followers, fighting in the streets. The owner of the Three Broomsticks, the café place, led us out the back door, which put us on the path leading directly to the school. We started to run up to the school when I heard Hestia scream behind me. I turned around to see Sirius, James' best mate and Hestia's boyfriend, fighting off the Death Eater who'd hurt Hestia. Hestia blasted the Death Eater away, and then she and Sirius ran ahead of us up to the school," Lily was whispering now, and her parents faces were pale, "Then I heard someone behind me scream 'Crucio',"

"The torture spell?" Lily looked up to see that her father had spoken, looking pale. Lily raised her eyebrows at him, "I read your textbooks when you're home during the summer. Isn't that spell illegal? And doesn't it cause intense pain to the victim?" A tear slipped down Lily's face and she nodded, "Who did it hit?"

"Me," Lily whispered, and she watched as both her parents gasped, her mother had tears in her eyes and her father was so pale that Lily was afraid he had no more blood left in his face, "I fell to the floor screaming. It hurt so badly. Then James blasted the Death Eater away and fell down next to me to help me. He asked me a few questions to make sure my mind hadn't been affected, and he was crying. I don't think he realized he was, but he was. And then we turned around to go back to the castle again, James supporting me because I was shaky, and there was a pop behind us as people apparated, which means they transported themselves there, and we turned to see 5 of them there. One of them removed their mask, and I recognized her, she graduated a couple years ago. She flicked her wand and silently cursed me again, and I fell to the floor again, every inch of my body was on fire," she sobbed, not realizing her parents were crying, "James, Sirius and Hestia tried to help me but they had frozen them so they couldn't move, and the Death Eater, Bellatrix, kept torturing me. She called me a mudblood then walked back over to the Death Eaters. I heard her say 'Avada', and I thought she was going to kill James, Sirius and Hestia, so I sent a curse at them, and they all flew into a building, which collapsed on them," Lily said, unable to continue.

"Avada? As in Avada-Kedavra?" her father asked, his face pale, and Lily nodded. Her parents stood up and sat on either side of her, their arms around her, "Why did you come so soon?" her father asked.

"I wanted to be here for T-Petunia's wedding," she said, looking down in her lap. Her father wrapped his arms around her, as did her mother, and the three Evans cried together. When they had run out of tears, Jane stood up, wiping her eyes.

"I'm proud of you," she choked, caressing Lily's cheek in the palm of her hand, "I cant believe you were tortured, almost killed, and still came here for your sister," her mother sighed, and kissed Lily on the forehead, "I'm going to go to bed, I'll see you in the morning," she said, hugging Lily tightly, "I love you."

Jane stood up and walked out of Lily's room, heading over to her bedroom. She passed by the TV room to see James watching Cinderella again, "James darling, you can head back there," she said, nodding towards Lily's room, and James stood up, switching off the TV.

"Thank you," he said, smiling.

"No, thank you James, for taking care of my baby girl," she said quietly, and James looked down at her. She walked away before James could say anything, and shut the door to her bedroom. James walked back to Lily's bedroom to see Lily and her dad sitting on the bed together, talking.

"Ah James," her father said, standing up and smiling at him, "I'd best be going now. Good night James," he said, nodding to James, who smiled back at him, before turning to Lily, "Good night my favorite flower."

"Dad! You cant pick favorites!" she gasped, and Andrew rolled his eyes.

"Never stopped me," he said, clapping James on the shoulder before heading to the door, "I'd make James a bed, but I guess you can do that better than I can," he winked, and shut the door behind him.

"I like your parents," James grinned, and turned to Lily, who smiled. Lily and James got into their pajamas, and Lily crawled into bed, climbing under the covers. James transfigured the couch into a bed, and lay down on it. They fell asleep quickly.

"Lily?" Lily sat up quickly and turned to look at the clock on her bedside table; it was 3am. Lily pulled her wand out and muttered 'Lumos', expulsing the room in light. She almost dropped her wand as she saw Petunia standing in the doorway.

"Tuney, I mean, Petunia?" she asked, looking up at her sister, whose shoulders drooped as she heard Lily call her by her full name.

"Lily I need to talk to you," she said, sitting down on the bed next to Lily.

"I don't think your fiancée would approve," Lily said, and Petunia looked down at the bed.

"I know, but I need to talk to you," she whispered, and Lily nodded.

"Talk quietly, you don't want to wake James up," Lily said, nodding towards James' bed and Petunia turned to see James, asleep, and nodded.

"Lily I'm sorry," Petunia said, "But, I love him," she whispered, and Lily nodded, understanding.

"I get it, he's your whole world," Lily said quietly, looking over at James' bed.

"You're really lucky to have him," Petunia said, smiling at Lily, "I can tell he really cares about you, and would do anything for you, and I'm feeling better about this because I know you'll always have him," Petunia said, and Lily looked down at the floor, "Will you still be my maid of honour?" Petunia asked quietly, and Lily nodded, "I love you Lily," Petunia said, pulling her sister into a hug, and Lily hugged Petunia back, feeling a lump rise in her throat.

"I love you too Tuney."

When they woke up on Petunia's wedding day, the house was chaos. Petunia dragged Lily into her room, handed her the maid of honour dress, and told her to go get ready. Lily ran to her room to find James sitting on his bed, wearing a tuxedo that Lily had transfigured his clothes into. Lily grinned at him as she walked in, holding the large garment bag. Lily laid the garment bag on her bed.

"Lily you have to get ready now!" she heard Petunia yell from her room and Lily sighed, and shut the door. James had unzipped the garment bag and was looking down at it with a slight smile on his face. Lily pushed James out of the way and looked down at the dress. It was a cream halter dress. Lily sighed and looked at James.

"Turn around, I don't feel like getting ready in the bathroom," she said, and James grinned, turning around and sitting down on his bed. Lily pulled her pajama top off and pulled the dress on. The dress was until Lily's waist, where it flowed out like a frock, ending at Lily's knees. She pulled her shorts out from under the dress and dropped them on the floor, "you can turn around now," she said the James, who turned and looked Lily up and down.

"It looks nice," he admitted, looking at Lily's chest where the dress revealed too much for Lily's comfort, she snapped her fingers and he looked up to see her slightly amused expression, and turned red, "I'm a guy," he said, raising his hands in surrender, and Lily rolled her eyes. She picked up her pajamas and threw them in the laundry basket in the corner of the room. She tidied up her room and James raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"We're leaving to go to your house tonight. I'm not leaving my room messy," she said, and James nodded. When Lily was done with her room, she walked to the bathroom where she could hear Petunia and her mother, while James went downstairs to keep Andrew, who was watching TV, company. When Lily walked into the bathroom in her dress, her mother grinned.

"That's lovely Petunia," she said, and Petunia turned to look at Lily, a smug expression settling on her face.

"It's the only colour that goes with that hair of hers," Petunia said, rolling her eyes, and turning back to the mirror, "Do your makeup," she said, pushing the makeup bag to Lily. Lily sighed and pulled out a stick of mascara, "No you have to put on foundation first!" Petunia said, rolling her eyes, "We're going to be taking pictures, and I don't want a glare to shine off your face." Lily rolled her eyes and picked up the foundation instead. She put little dots on her face and began to rub it in. She then picked up the mascara and eyeliner and did her eyes. She put on some lip-gloss and turned to Petunia. Who looked at Lily's face critically, "You need some blush," she said, and walked over to Lily with a brush in her hand. Lily began to protest but Petunia ignored her and applied the blush on Lily's face, "Now you're perfect," Petunia said, and Lily smiled, "go wear your shoes that I put out for you next to dad," Petunia said, turning back to the mirror to finish off her make up, her hair on top of her head in curlers. Lily walked into the TV room and both James, and her father snapped their heads up to look at her.

"You look beautiful Lily," her father said, looking at her in awe, and Lily grinned. James was looking at Lily and didn't say anything, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Petunia said my shoes were in here," she said, looking around and her father nodded, pulling a box out from underneath the sofa. Lily walked over and opened the shoebox, feeling a hiss escape her. Her father looked into the box and started to laugh, while James looked curiously at them both, "This isn't funny!" Lily whined, pulling out the five inch cream stilettos. James guffawed and Lily narrowed her eyes at him. She put the heels on her feet and wobbled; they were really high, "How am I supposed to walk in these?" she asked, looking at her father, who shrugged.

"It's times like this when I appreciate the simplicity of a males life," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes. She walked back to her bedroom and picked up her wand.

"Lily we're leaving!" her mother yelled, and Lily sighed. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a fancy dark brown jacket, and pulled it over her dress. She ran down the stairs, tucking the wand in her pocket, and almost fell over, forgetting about her heels. James caught her as she began to fall, and put her back on her feet. She smiled at him before taking his hand and following her family outside into the car.

It was snowing, and Lily felt her legs freeze. James put his arm around her shoulder and ran her towards the car. They got inside and James sat next to Lily in the backseat, and Lily ended up sitting in between her mother and James, as Petunia was in the front seat with her dress. The car was freezing and Lily pulled her wand out of her pocket, and suddenly a comfortable heat settled inside the car.

"Thank you Lily," her father said, and Lily giggled. Petunia pursed her lips and turned around to look at Lily.

"Lily could you please not do the freak stuff at the wedding?" she asked, and Lily rolled her eyes, "I think we should put her hair up mum," Petunia said, nodding to Lily, and her mother nodded.

"Whatever you say dear, it's your day." Lily saw James sigh and bit her lip, knowing how much he hated her hair tied up. They reached the church and Petunia ran inside to go get ready, holding her dress and shoes in her arms. Lily's mother grabbed Lily and pulled her towards Petunia's dressing room, "James darling would you bring the bouquet?" she yelled over her shoulder and James nodded. They ran into the church to see Petunia looking shocked, tears filling her eyes.

"Tuney what's wrong?" Lily asked, putting her arm around Petunia. Petunia put her dress and shoes down and ran out of the church. Lily followed her and found her in an empty garden behind the church, "Tuney?"

"They didn't do the decorations!" Tuney screamed, turning to look at Lily, who looked around at the bare garden, "There are supposed to be tables and streamers and a stage and music here!" she said, pointing to the garden, and Lily walked over to Petunia, pulling her into a hug.

"I'll fix it," Lily said, and Petunia looked down at the wand in Lily's hand, and nodded.

"Cream and gold, white tablecloths, 6 people at a table, 15 tables," Petunia said, looking at Lily who nodded. Lily raised her wand and waved it. Streamers burst out of her wand, cream and gold, and draped themselves elegantly on the trees. She then conjured up tables, just as Petunia had instructed, and a wooden dance floor laid itself in the middle of the tables, "There's going to be a live band," Petunia said, watching as her reception came together with awe, and watching Lily, who had a look of intense concentration on her face. Lily's frowned deepened and a raised platform appeared near the dance floor, along with microphones and all the other equipment necessary for a wedding. Petunia looked around with tears in her eyes, "Thank you Lily," she whispered, and pulled Lily into a hug. Lily hugged her sister back and lokoe dup at the sky.

"Do you need a marquee of some sort?" she said, and Petunia looked up.

"I think that would be smart." Lily nodded and pointed her wand at the sky, a large marquee shooting out of her wand, surrounding the entire scene.

"I want to do something," Lily said, and Petunia looked at her curiously. Lily shot her wand up to the sky, a golden ribbon flying out of it, and Petunia watched as the golden ribbon formed the words 'Petunia and Vernon Dursley' in cursive writing. The ribbon exploded and pieces of it landed on the plates, just like they had in the Great Hall. Petunia ran to the plates to see the words 'Petunia and Vernon Dursley' elegantly written on all the plates, with little red hearts surrounding it.

"Lily this is beautiful," Petunia said, looking down at the plate, and Lily shrugged.

"Are there supposed to be decorations in the church?" Lily asked, and Petunia nodded, "You go get ready, I'll handle it," Lily said, and Petunia gave her sister a grateful smile before running to her dressing room. Lily walked into the church and pointed her wand up at the ceiling. James walked in and leaned in the doorway with Andrew, who was watching, mesmerized, as Lily decorated the church. Once she was done, Lily sighed and turned around to see James and Andrew watching her. She grinned cheekily before turning and heading into the dressing room. She ran in and Petunia turned to look at her questioningly. Lily nodded and Petunia grinned, turning back to the mirror, pulling the curlers out of her hair. Jane stood in the back, dressed in a maroon dress with her hair up, holding the wedding gown.

"How do I get that on without messing everything up," Petunia said, looking from the wedding dress warily. Jane looked up worriedly and Lily frowned. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the wedding dress, which flew into the air above Petunia's head. Petunia put her arms up, and Lily carefully put the dress down onto Petunia. Once the dress was on, Petunia turned to the mirror to see that her hair and makeup was intact. She pulled Lily into a hug, before turning to head into the bathroom to check her teeth. Jane hugged Lily.

"Thank you for being here for your sister," she whispered, and Lily patted her mother on the back, "You look beautiful," she said, looking at Lily, who grinned, "Now to put your hair up." Lily sighed and Jane sat her down, pulling her hair back to form an elegant bun, "Done!" Jane said happily, and Petunia walked out, looking down at Lily, who still looked pale and sallow.

"Lily why do you still look sick?" Petunia whined, and Lily looked up at her sister, "It's going to ruin everything!" Lily stood up and looked at her sister, irritated.

"I look sick because I got out of hospital two days ago okay?" Lily said, glaring at her sister. After all the work Lily had done for her, with the decorations and the dress, Petunia had the nerve to complain about how Lily looked?

"Why?" Petunia challenged, and Lily narrowed her eyes.

"Because I got tortured by dark wizards and I left before I had fully recovered to come to your wedding," Lily snarled, and Petunia's mouth snapped shut, her eyes widening. Lily turned around as a knock sounded on the door.

James pushed the door open, and looked inside, "It's time," he said, and Andrew walked inside from behind James. Lily watched Petunia's face pale as she headed over to her father, stopping in front of Lily.

"I'm going to miss you," Petunia said quietly, and Lily looked at her sister. She heard her mother sniffle behind her but ignored it, looking at Petunia.

"You don't have to do this," Lily said, and Petunia shook her head.

"He's right. I shouldn't surround myself with your lot," she said, and Lily felt as if she'd been slapped in the face.

"Well if it's so bad for you to be around my lot, I'll make things easier for you," Lily said, and walked out the door. James looked at Petunia, who gave him a pleading look.

"Look after my baby sister will you?" James nodded, smiling slightly at Petunia.

"You said that on purpose didn't you?" he smirked, and Petunia grinned. James nodded again and turned to follow Lily. He found Lily standing at the start of the aisle. Petunia had decided on no bridesmaids, so Lily was to be walking down the aisle with Vernon's best man, who James didn't like as he kept expressing his interest in Lily, "Hey," James said, walking up behind Lily and wrapping his arms around her. He saw Vernons best man, look away irritably, and grinned.

"Hi," Lily said, turning herself around and smiling up at James. James looked up at her hair and groaned, and Lily laughed, "I'll take my hair down right after the reception alright?" she said, and James grinned. Vernon was already standing at the end of the aisle next to the minister, and the church was filled with their wedding guests, who were looking admirably up at the decorations

"People like your decorations," James whispered into Lily's ear, and Lily smiled up at him.

"Obviously. It was I who did them," she said, and James grinned. There was the noise of someone clearing his throat behind them, and they turned to see Andrew, with Petunia, looking pointedly at James. James let go of Lily and walked up to his seat in at the front of the church next to Jane. Lily narrowed her eyes at her father, who grinned at her, "Dad that wasn't very nice. I think you scared him," Lily said, gesturing in James direction and her father grinned.

"That's my job," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes, ignoring Petunia, and turned to face forwards.

"How long you two been dating?" Vernons' best man asked, and Lily looked up at him.

"A long time, we're thinking of getting engaged actually" she said, and he looked down, dejected. She heard Andrew and Petunia chuckle behind her and turned to give her sister a wink before the music started. They began their slow walk down the aisle, and soon Lily found herself standing on the other side of Vernon, watching Petunia walk down the aisle with her father, laughing at something Andrew had said. Lily turned to look at Vernon, to see a delighted expression on his face, mingled with an expression that looked like what James did when he looked at her. Lily looked down and sighed, finally accepting that Petunia and Vernon were in love. Petunia reached the altar, and Andrew placed her hand in Vernons, giving Vernon a strict look, before seating himself next to his wife, putting an arm around her shoulder.

Lily clapped along with everyone else when the ceremony was over, and watched as her sister, laughing, hanging on to the arm of Vernon Dursley, walked from the hall happily, and Lily grinned, knowing Petunia was always going to be happy. James stood up and took Lily's hand, leading her from the church and to the reception area. James took a seat, looking down at his plate, and looked up to grin at Lily.

"Again?" he said, and Lily rolled her eyes, ignoring the gasps of wonder as the guests looked down at the plates. She looked at her parents, who were looking down at the plates with expressions of awe, then looked up at Lily with smiles on their faces. The band began to play and Petunia and Vernon walked in to a round of applause, and began their first dance.

"She looks happy," Lily said, smiling at the dance floor where Petunia and Vernon were twirling. James looked down at her and grinned. When the song was over, James stood up and held his hand out to her. Lily raised her eyebrows and looked up at him, shaking her head, but James rolled her eyes and pulled her up, leading her to the dance floor, much to the amusement of her parents.

James turned her and started to lead, as more and more people filed onto the dance floor. The couple twisted and turned and danced together until it was time for dinner. When they sat down, Vernon's best man stood up, holding up his wine glass; a speech.

"Are you ready for your speech hon?" Andrew asked, leaning towards Lily, who paled and shook her head. Andrew patted her soothingly on the knee and leaned back, listening to the speech. When Vernons best man was done, he pointed to Lily.

"Next up, the Maid of Honour, Petunia's sister Lily, is going to make a speech," he said, sitting down, and Lily gulped, squeezed James' hand, before standing up shakily.

"Hello," she said, smiling around at everyone nervously, "I'm Lily Evans, Petunia's sister, and I have a few words to say," she started, and she looked at Petunia, who was watching her with wide, incredulous eyes, "Petunia is not the easiest person to get along with, and I would know that, being her little sister," she started, and watched Petunia's eyes widen, "She wakes up really early, and since she doesn't like being alone, she'll wake you up even when you really want to sleep," she said, and the guests chuckled, "But she's one of the best big sisters you could ask for," Lily said, looking at Petunia and thinking back to the time before she had found out about Hogwarts, "I remember when I was 4, and Petunia and I were taking ballet classes together, Petunia would always yell at me for stepping on her toes," Lily said, and another chuckle floated through the guests, "I've been stepping on Petunia's toes for years now, literally and figuratively, and now that she's getting married, I cant do that anymore," Lily said, her eyes filling up with tears. She turned away from Petunia and looked at Vernon, "Vernon, I want to congratulate you on being the person that my sister has fallen in love with, and to ask, no, to beg you, to step on her toes for me all the time. Irritate her, drive her up the walls, because I know that Petunia loves having someone to yell at, and since you're taking her away from me and I cant fulfill that position anymore, I'm passing the responsibility over to you" she grinned, and the guests laughed, "Congratulations you two," she said, and raised her glass up. The guests started clapping and cheering and Lily sat down and sighed, "Ah that was so embarrassing," she whispered, and James chuckled.

"I thought it was a good speech," he said, and Lily looked up at him, rolling her eyes.

After the reception was over, Petunia went off in her wedding car with Vernon, waving to them, and Lily, James, Andrew and Jane headed home. Lily and James would be leaving as soon as they changed, to go to James' house for the rest of the holidays. They changed out of their clothes into jeans and t-shirts, wearing jackets on top of their clothes and wrapping scarves around their necks, Lily and James made their way down the stairs with their trunks. When they reached downstairs, it was to see Lily's parents waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. Lily ran into her parents arms and hugged them goodbye.

"I'll miss you," she said, and her parents kissed her on top of her head.

"We'll miss you more" her father said, and Lily grinned up at him, "Be safe," he said quietly, and turned to James, "It was lovely to meet you, hopefully next time you'll bring a broom and I'll try it out," her father winked, and James laughed, shaking his hand.

"It was a pleasure to meet both of you," James said, shaking Andrews hand, then holding his hand out to Jane. Jane ignored the hand and pulled James into a hug.

"Be careful," she said, pulling away from James, and cupping Lily's cheek in her hand. They nodded and walked to their trunks. They were going to apparate to James house.

"I'll see you soon!" Lily said, holding onto her trunk with one hand and James with the other. They turned on the spot and Lily felt as if a fishhook had grabbed her behind her belly button, pulling her through a wormhole. They had both gotten their apparation licenses during their sixth year, but hated apparating. Lily opened her eyes to see herself standing at the gate of a large mansion.

"This is your house?" she squeaked, looking at James, who nodded, "it's huge!" she said, and James shrugged, pulling her forwards.

"Let's go," he said, and Lily took a step forward.

**Hey guys. This chapter was quite slow and really long, but I thought it was necessary to characterize the relationship between Petunia and Lily, Lily and Vernon, and introduce James to Lily's family. I just had my English exam so I'm sorry if the chapters a bit boring. **

**(: Review!**


	10. Meet the Potters

**Hey everyone! It's the weekend! Well, technically its Friday. But still! And I have finished half my exams. Since it's the weekend I'm going to write a chapter. Enjoy (:**

_**Previously:**_

_Lily and James attended Petunia's wedding, and have just arrived at the Potter mansion_

Lily looked up at the Potter Mansion as she walked towards the gates. James lived in a mansion? She had had no idea. She realized she actually knew shockingly little about James. What was his favorite food? His favourite book? What did he want to do with his life? She looked up at James, who was looking happily up at the mansion, happy to be home. James pushed the gate open and Lily followed him in. She looked around herself as James shut the gate behind him, and saw a large garden on either side of a winding path that led up to the mansion. Lily looked down at her outfit; jeans and a shirt.

"You look fine," James said, rolling his eyes, and Lily looked up at him, panicked.

"You live in a mansion!" she squeaked, and saw James grin. He huffed and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the trunks. The trunks flew over to his house and Lily raised her eyebrows at him

"I don't feel like dragging them," he shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes. James walked over to her and took her hand in his, "Calm down Lily. I wasn't so panicked when I met your parents," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Totally different situation," she mumbled, and James squeezed her hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, and Lily shook her head. James pulled her to a stop and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Lily. We are not moving until you explain," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes. James held her there and Lily gave up with a sigh.

"Well I was bringing the perfect all round wizard to my muggle family who knows nothing about the magical world. You're bringing your mudblood girlfriend to meet your magical and pureblood family," Lily said, looking up at the mansion.

"Why does blood matter?" he asked quietly, and Lily looked up at him.

"I don't know!" she said, "But everyone's after mudbloods now and…" Lily stopped as James put a finger on her lips, shutting her up.

"Do not call yourself a mudblood. You are not a mudblood Lily. You're just muggle born. And so what if everyone's after muggleborns? It's a stupid prejudice, and my parents don't support it. And even if they did hate muggleborns, it wouldn't have any effect on us," James said, and Lily smiled at him, "Now puck up your Gryffindor courage and come meet my parents," he said, and tugged at her hand. Lily laughed and linked elbows with James, leaning her head on his shoulder. They walked up to James mansion, it could hardly be referred to as a house, and James turned her so she was facing him, "Ready?" he asked, and Lily took a deep breath, nodding. James grinned at her and pushed the door open.

They walked into a brightly lit foyer that had a large mirror on the other side. Lily looked at the mirror and began to fix her hair. James rolled his eyes and pulled her away from the mirror, muttering about girls and mirrors. Lily grinned at James, and looked around her. There were elegant sofas on each side of the foyer and Lily gulped, imagining how fancy James parents must be. They walked through a sliding wood door and Lily gasped, finding herself in a brightly lit, large, extravagant sitting room with large windows that went from ceiling to floor. Out of the window Lily could see a garden swing and a large garden with lots of hedges. Lily looked around to see a few doors lining the walls, and an extravagant spiral staircase next to the sitting room. She saw another door that led to the kitchen and a door leading to the garden. She turned to look at James incredulously and saw him watching her.

"I love your house!" she whispered loudly, and James laughed.

"James?" Lily's head snapped towards the stairs where she could hear footsteps, "James darling is that you?" Emily Potter made her way down the stairs and stopped as she spotted Lily, "Oh. James you didn't say you were bringing guests," she said, looking at James, and then turning to smile at Lily, "It's nice to meet you," she said, walking down the stairs to shake Lily's hand, "Emily Potter."

"Lily Evans," Lily said quietly, smiling at James' mum as she shook her hand. She saw her eyebrows raise and a grin appeared on her face.

"Oh Lily it's lovely to meet you!" she squealed, pulling Lily into a hug. Lily hugged James' mum back with a grin on her face, "Let's go I'll give you the house tour," Emily said, gesturing for Lily to follow her, but James cleared his throat.

"Oh hi mum it's lovely to see you too. I've missed you so much," James said sarcastically, and Emily rolled her eyes.

"Yes hello James darling, I've missed you too," she said just as sarcastically and Lily laughed. Emily winked at Lily before walking over to pull James into a hug. James was taller than Emily, who was about the same height as Lily, and James was able to rest his chin on his mother's head, "Did you bring anyone else?" she asked, and James shook his head, "Excellent," she grinned, and turned back to Lily, "Now Lily, why do you look afraid?" she asked bluntly, and James guffawed. Lily narrowed her eyes at James, who walked around his mum and kissed Lily on the top of the head. Lily rolled her eyes at him, and saw Emily grin.

"I'm not afraid Mrs. Potter, I'm just, intimidated?" Lily said, searching for the right word.

"Mrs. Potter? Oh Merlin, call me Emily," she said, grinning at Lily, "Now James where is your father?" she asked.

"How am I supposed to know? You're the one who has been at home with him," James said, rolling his eyes. Emily huffed and headed towards the stairs.

"C'mon Lily," she said over her shoulder, and Lily followed Emily.

"Thanks mum," James said, following after them.

"Oh James you already know your way around," she said, and Lily chuckled. She had only known Emily for a few minutes and she already liked her. They reached upstairs and Lily looked around. There was a large family room and a few corridors leading out from the family room. The family room was messy and Lily felt calmer as she saw it. She turned to see Emily looking disappointedly down at the mess, "James your father is a slob," she said bluntly, and walked down a corridor while James and Lily grinned, "Lily!" she yelled over her shoulder, and Lily jumped and followed after her.

"I think my mum likes you," James whispered sarcastically to Lily who grinned.

"Jealous?" she asked cheekily, and James rolled his eyes, trying and failing not to grin.

"Daniel!" Lily looked up to see Emily standing when her arms crossed in the doorway to a room. Lily stopped, giving them some privacy, but James put his hand on her back, pushing her forward.

"Emily!" Lily heard James' dad mock her tone and giggled, earning herself a mock stern look from Emily, "Who's giggling?" Daniel asked, and Emily nodded towards Lily and James, who Daniel couldn't see, "Emily!" he whined, and Lily heard the sound of someone getting up. Lily bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"You're exactly the same," Lily whispered, rolling her eyes at James, and Emily chuckled.

"I think it's a Potter men trait. Laziness and idiocy," she chuckled, and Lily grinned. James and his father scoffed simultaneously and Daniel Potter appeared in the doorway. He looked over at James and grinned.

"James!" he said happily, and took a step forward to his son, and then noticed Lily who was a head shorter than James. He looked at her for a second and grinned, "It's nice to meet you Lily." Lily raised her eyebrows, as did Emily.

"How did you know it was Lily?" Emily asked, frowning at her husband.

"Hair," he shrugged, and Lily looked at James, who raised his hands, palms up, at her as if surrendering. Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to grin at Mr. Potter.

"It's really nice to meet you," she said, and Daniel grinned, holding his hand out to Lily, who shook it.

"Well I can't say I'm finally meeting you because after all James has told me I feel like I already know you," he said, grinning, and winking at his son, who blushed. Lily laughed and James glared at his father. Daniel walked over to James and pulled his son into a hug, and James rolled his eyes, patting his father on the back in a manly hug. Emily looked at Lily and gestured for her to follow her. Lily walked over to Emily who led Lily into the room Daniel had just vacated. Lily looked around to see a large bedroom, with a desk in the corner. The sheets of the bed were crumpled, and Lily assumed Mr. Potter had been lying down. Emily sat down on the bed and patted the spot in front of her, and Lily sat down, somewhat nervously.

"How are you?" Emily asked.

"I'm good, how are you?" Lily said, but Emily ignored the second part.

"I meant after Hogsmeade. Dumbledore informed us of what happened during an Order meeting. How are you?" she asked seriously, and Lily ran a hand through her hair, causing Emily to laugh, "I'm guessing that's a habit you picked up from James. I picked it up the first few months I was dating Daniel as well," she said, and Lily grinned.

"I'm a bit shaky, and kind of shocked that it happened, but I guess that's normal," Lily shrugged, and grinned at Emily, "And yes I have picked that up from him." Emily laughed at the second statement then turned serious.

"That is only natural," she said. She took a breath to say something else but the boys walked into the room. James jumped onto the bed, sitting next to Lily, while Daniel sat on a chair with wheels. Lily narrowed her eyes at the chair.

"I thought rolling-chairs were muggle inventions," she said, looking up at Daniel, and heard Emily and James snort. Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"Muggle inventions are fascinating okay!" he said, looking at his wife and son, who snorted and Lily laughed.

"Don't worry. James was fascinated by muggle inventions at my house," she said, and Emily and Daniel laughed as James narrowed his eyes at Lily, "what?" Lily asked innocently, and James rolled his eyes with a grin on his face. Lily yawned and Emily jumped up.

"We need to get you to bed, it's late," she said, and looked down at her watch. Daniel and James held their hands out, asking her to help them up, but Emily ignored them and held her hand out to Lily, who took her hand and stood up. Emily grinned at her husband and son, before putting her arm around Lily's shoulder, "Let me show you your room," she said, leading Lily from the room.

"Goodnight!" Lily yelled over her shoulder to Mr. Potter, who grinned.

"Night Lily," he said, standing up. James jumped off the bed and, with a swift 'night' to his father, followed after Lily and his mum. Emily led Lily out of that corridor back into the family room, and to the corridor opposite the stairs. The stopped at the door on the left, and Emily pushed it open. Lily felt her jaw drop. The room was huge. There was a king sized bed and a dresser, as well as an empty bookshelf and a desk.

"So you know where our room is, don't be afraid to come there if you need anything, or just call for Anna," Emily grinned. She hugged Lily and walked back down the corridor and turned.

"Who's Anna?" Lily asked, turning to James.

"House elf," he said, and Lily nodded.

"Where's your room?" she asked curiously, and James grinned. He pointed to the door behind them and Lily raised her eyebrows, "your parents are letting us sleep in rooms opposite each other?"

"Well your parents let us sleep in the same room the first night," James grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. James grabbed Lily's hand and opened the door to his room, pulling her in. Lily looked around to see a similarly large room, but with two single beds as opposed to one king sized bed. James had posters all over his walls of Quidditch teams. Lily noticed a small, framed photograph of the Marauders on James' desk.

"Who's the other single bed for?" Lily asked, nodding towards the other bed.

"Sirius. When he moved out he came here and basically lives here during the summer," James shrugged and Lily nodded. She had heard about Sirius' family situation. Lily walked around James' room and looked at the various items. She had reached James' desk, where papers with incantations on them were scattered. Lily picked one up and started to read it, recognizing some and not recognizing others. She felt James' hands wind around her waist and turned back to look at him.

"Hi," she said, kissing James on the cheek.

"Hi there," James chuckled, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I like your parents, they remind me of you," Lily grinned and saw James roll his eyes out of the corner of her eye, "it's true!" James chuckled and Lily felt him yawn into her hair, "Time for bed," she said, turning around, resting her hands on James' chest.

"Okay let's go," James winked, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Let me rephrase," she started but James cut her off.

"No, I liked the way you phrased it the first time," James said matter-of-factly and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"Grow up Potter," she said and James winked at her. Lily rolled her eyes and reached down to untwine James' harms from around her waist. James held on to his other hand tightly as Lily tried to pull his hands from around her. James' arms wouldn't budge and Lily grunted, "Are you serious?" she asked and James raised his eyebrows.

"No I'm James," he said seriously, "Have you been confused this whole relationship?" Lily started to laugh and gave up on trying to separate his hands. James chuckled and buried his face in Lily's hair, causing Lily to jump.

"That tickles don't do that!" Lily squealed, leaning away from James, who looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He held her more tightly and moved one of his hands up to her neck. Lily squealed and tried to get away, but there was no escape.

"I'll let you go on one condition," James said, stopping for a minute. Lily rolled her eyes at him and got up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss, "that's more like it," James winked, letting go of Lily, who rolled her eyes.

"Goodnight James," she said as she walked out of the room, "James did you want to tell me something?" she asked, looking at his expression.

"Nothing important!" he squeaked, and Lily knew it was the opposite, "Goodnight Lils," he grinned. Lily shut the door behind her and James flopped onto his bed. Lily walked to her room and opened her trunk. She pulled out her favorite pajamas, shorts and a tank top, and crawled into bed. As she was about to fall asleep, she heard a tapping on the window. She looked out of the window to see an owl. She stood up quickly and opened the window for the owl. The owl flew in and landed on the dresser, holding out its leg. Lily walked lazily over to the owl and pulled the letter off its leg. The owl hooted and flew out of the window. Lily sighed and sat down on the bed, unrolling the letter. Two letters were enclosed in the envelope and Lily sighed. The first one was from Hestia.

_Lily!_

_Oh Merlin I miss you so much. It has been about 4 days since you left me all by myself with boys and I am so lonely. They locked up the Heads dorm since you and James are not here so I have to sit in the noisy Gryffindor common room with Sirius, Remus and Peter. _

_It is excruciatingly painful. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore Sirius, and Remus is one of the most thoughtful and amazing people I have ever met, but Peter? I honestly have no idea why James, Sirius and Remus are friends with him and I have come to the conclusion that they are only friends because they were in the same dormitory and the three of them could not plan everything without Peter feeling left out. That is the conclusion I have drawn, right now, sitting by myself in the dormitory. I would go to the Marauders dormitory, but hello, it smells bad. _

_How was Petunia's wedding? I hope she was not too hateful towards you. Oh! How did James meeting the parents go? I bet they absolutely adored him. Where are you now? Judging by the time you're probably lying in a bed somewhere, and because of me you are now awake and groaned before reading this letter. I love you too Lily-flower. Oh Merlin. I think I've picked that up from Sirius. I apologize profusely. Are you at James' house yet? Sirius said it was a mansion. Is that really true? Good luck meeting his parents! They're both Aurors so I hope you're not too afraid of them! Not that you're one to be easily afraid. _

_I'm ranting. My deepest and sincerest apologies. Oh Merlin you will never believe what happened today. A first year came up to me and asked me out. A FIRST YEAR! It was so embarrassing. And Sirius, well you know Sirius, jinxed the first year, who was cute by the way, with a Bat-Bogey Hex. I would appreciate you giving him a detention for this. I ended up spending an hour comforting the first year, who then tried to ask me out once again. It was terrible. _

_It is late. And I must be going. I would send you a letter regarding the holiday homework but I am already sleepy and that will just push me over the edge. Besides Remus said he was going to send you a letter regarding that, so I don't think I should deny him the pleasure. He's such a nerd, honestly._

_Lots of Love, your best and most gorgeous friend, Hestia. _

Lily laughed and set the letter down, deciding to reply to Hestia tomorrow. She picked up the second letter and recognized Remus' handwriting.

_Lily,_

_How's the holiday treating you? Are you feeling better? You probably are as James is talking to Sirius at the moment, loudly I might add, and at this hour of the night, those inconsiderate twats. I hear you are now at James' house. They're discussing your sister's wedding, and yes Sirius has made a number of inappropriate comments regarding your sister, sorry, and I can't be bothered to listen if I have the choice. For some odd reason Wormtail has managed to sleep through this, he leaves for his mothers in the morning. And Sirius has just fallen off the bed in an attempt to demonstrate something to James. And he is stuck in some odd position and requires my assistance. What the hell. That Sirius Black is an odd bloke I tell you. As is James Potter but I assume you already know that as you are currently dating said twat. Sirius has just asked whom I'm writing to, so you are now my mum. Hi mum! I would tell them the truth but then James would start asking what I'm writing about and Sirius would make fun of me because of our brief history in…fifth year was it? Which James still doesn't know about so I'd very much appreciate it if you wouldn't tell him please? My apologies I'm not very good with years. And with what to say isn't that magnificent? I might have just made you feel awkward. If you are not awkward I have made you feel awkward by mentioning the word awkward. Oh Merlin I'm sleep deprived. I'm always so exhausted the week surrounding Full Moon, which was last night. I don't know why I'm telling you this. You're just so much easier to talk to than James and Sirius at times. I don't even bother talking to Wormtail usually because he usually get's awkward or begins discussing what we're going to do next- wait. Never mind. Oh Merlin, Sirius is coming over here to see what I'm writing._

_So mum, how's father? I hope he's well I do miss him very much- and he's gone. Phew. James is now talking about you. I will not tell you what he is saying as it is not something you would want to hear and I am bound as a best friend and a Marauder. And now you're thinking about this. This is awkward. I'm going to go now. See you later Lily-flower. Oh Merlin Sirius' nickname has worn off on all of us. Miss you, Remus._

_OH I ALMOST FORGOT. The homework. Charms, 13" [I KNOW 13 WHAT IS HE THINKING?] parchment on the theory of conjuring live objects. Transfiguration, 2 parchments on transfiguring your appearance. Potions, Questions on page 378 of the textbook; all of them. That's all the homework we got for ALL the classes. It's still an insane amount. It's as if the teachers assume that we have no lives. Anyway. Goodnight! Have a good day tomorrow._

_Remus_

Lily grinned down at Remus' letter. She frowned down at a particular sentence that shone out at her. _Wormtail usually because he usually get's awkward or begins discussing what we're going to do next- wait. Never mind_. What was Remus talking about? Lily decided to think about it later; she was tired. She folded up the letters and put them down on the side table next to her bed. She lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin, curling up into a ball.

Lily woke up in the morning to see a house elf standing by her bed. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, wondering if she was imagining it. She looked around at the unfamiliar large room and remembered that she was in James' house. She jumped out of bed and turned to the house elf, "how do I look?" she asked. The house elf grinned up at her.

"I think Miss looks wonderful," she said, and Lily grinned down at her.

"Hi I'm Lily," she said, holding her hand out to the house elf. The house elf looked warily at her hand and then took it.

"Hi miss I am Anna," she said, and Lily gave her a friendly smile.

"Please call me Lily, Anna," Lily said politely, and the house elf beamed at her.

"Lily must wake up now. Mr. and Mrs. Potter are to be going down for breakfast soon and Master James needs to be woken up, again," Lily laughed at the reference to waking James up. She looked down warily at her pajamas, "The Potters wear their pajamas to breakfast, but I would suggest Lily wears longer bottoms," Anna said, grinning at Lily who laughed.

"Thank you Anna. Don't worry about waking James up, I can handle that," Lily said and Anna smiled before bowing down to her, "Oh no none of that," Lily said, gesturing to Anna's bow, "You don't have to bow to me. I'm your friend. Not your master or whatever," Lily said and Anna grinned up at her.

"Whatever Lily wishes, see you later," Anna said, "It's nice to see Master James has found such a lovely companion," Anna mumbled to herself before disapparating. Lily sighed and opened her trunk, and pulled out her grey sweat pants. She pulled her shorts off and pulled the sweat pants on before heading into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and looked at her hair in the mirror, which was a mess. She groaned and tied it up into a knot. Satisfied, she walked out of her bedroom and opened the door to James' room quietly. James was sprawled all over the bed and Lily chuckled quietly. She now understood what Emily was referring to when she called James a slob. Lily walked quietly over to James' bed and sat down on the edge of it.

"James," she whispered, and James didn't move, "James," this time she put her hand on his shoulder and James groaned and stretched, "James wake up," she said, patting his shoulder.

"No I'm sleeping," he mumbled into his pillow, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You're stealing my lines James," she said and James chuckled into his pillow.

"You're rubbing off on me Evans," he said, and turned onto his back, opening his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at Lily, who was blurry, "Why are you in my room?" he asked, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Because Anna came to wake me up saying it was breakfast time and then said she had to come wake you up _again _so I let her off the hook," Lily shrugged and James rolled his eyes, "James get _up," _she said, standing up, but James didn't move. Instead he grabbed her sweat pants and pulled her down onto the bed so she was lying down next to him, "Mature James," she muttered and James grinned. He wrapped his arms around her and hid his face in her neck.

"Morning Lils," he sighed, and Lily grinned.

"Someone is slow this morning, c'mon lets go eat!" she said, and stood up, pulling James up with her. James found himself sitting up and rubbed his eyes vigorously. He leaned over and grabbed his glasses, putting them on his face, looking up at Lily.

"I'm not slow. I'm sleepy. There's a difference," he said, pushing the blanket off himself and climbing out of bed. Lily looked down to see James in only his boxers and blushed as he caught her looking at his stomach, "Yes Lils?" he said cheekily, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her towards him.

"Would it kill you to wear a shirt," she mumbled, taking a step back, blushing deep maroon, and James laughed. He walked over to his cupboard and pulled out a grey shirt, and pulled it over his head. He pulled on a pair of loose pajama pants and turned towards her, holding out his hand, but Lily shook her head, "Go brush your teeth," she said in a stern voice and James rolled his eyes.

"Yes mommy," he said, and walked over to his bathroom. James brushed his teeth and walked out of the bathroom, wiping his face with his shirt, revealing his stomach again.

"You know they invented this new thing, called towels," Lily said, and James shook his head, grinning. He grabbed Lily's hand and walked out of his bedroom. He led Lily into the family room and down the stairs. Once downstairs, Lily looked around, confused.

"This way," James chuckled, pulling her hand. James led Lily through an entrance she hadn't noticed the night before, and Lily found herself in a dining room, with a table that seated 8. James' parents were already seated.

"Lily!" Emily said happily, patting the chair beside her. Lily grinned at Emily and sat down next to her.

"Morning Mr. Potter," Lily said and Daniel looked up incredulously.

"No no, Mr. Potter is my father. My name is Daniel," he said, and Lily grinned.

"Morning Daniel," she said, and Daniel laughed.

"Morning Lily," he replied and Lily saw Emily roll her eyes. James sat down across from his mother, diagonal from Lily.

"Morning Pumpkin," Emily sung, and James looked up at his mother and blushed, while Lily chuckled quietly. Emily looked up at her sons' expression and rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to stop calling you Pumpkin because Lily is here," she said, grinning at her son. She turned to Lily, "There's actually a reason behind that. When he was a baby he was probably the fattest thing I've ever seen," Emily said, and Lily laughed, as did Daniel, who grinned at James, who was glaring at his mother.

"I wasn't fat," James said, and his parents laughed harder. He looked at Lily who smiled at him and crossed his arms, "I hate you all," he said, and Lily snorted, "I hate you Lils," he said, narrowing his eyes at her and Lily looked up at him, pretending to look offended, causing James' parents to laugh and James to roll his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching. There was a crack and Lily jumped, and looked on the other side of her to see a different, grumpy, house elf standing next to her.

"Morning ma'am," he said, bowing to Lily, "Name's Alan," he said and Lily grinned at him.

"Nice to meet you Alan, I'm Lily," she said, and Alan smiled up at her.

"What does ma'am want for breakfast?" he asked politely, and Lily saw the Potter's stare incredulously down at the house elf.

"I'd appreciate it if you could call me Lily," she said politely, and the house elf bowed, "And don't bow please. I'm not your master, I'm just a friend," she grinned, and the house elf smiled again.

"We have a few options for breakfast Lily. Do you want pancakes, toast, bacon, eggs? Whatever you desire we can have made for you," he said, and made to bow, but stopped, and Lily laughed.

"Bacon and toast if it's possible?" Lily said politely and Alan grinned.

"Anything is possible Lily madam," Alan said, and disapparated. Lily turned back to the table to see the Potters staring incredulously at her.

"What?" she asked, self-consciously, reaching her hand to her hair.

"Alan's never smiled before," Daniel said, looking at Lily with incredulous eyes, "wonder what that was about," Lily raised her eyebrows and turned to Emily, who nodded.

"I don't know what that was but thank you for coming. I was beginning to worry that the poor bloke didn't know how to smile," she said, and Lily chuckled. She heard James 'harrumph' and looked up at him to see him glaring at her with narrowed eyes.

"What?" she asked again, and James huffed. He stood up and walked over behind Lily. He pulled her hair out of the knot and went to sit back down, holding her hair tie.

"James?" Emily asked, looking at James as if he'd going insane.

"James that's not fair my hair is a mess!" Lily exclaimed, combing through her hair with her fingers. James looked at her hair and shrugged.

"I don't think it looks like a mess," he shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Can I know what just happened?" Daniel asked, looking at Lily.

"James doesn't like my hair tied up for some ridiculous reason," she said, rolling her eyes, and Emily laughed.

"I think that's another Potter trait," she said, nudging Lily, who laughed.

"Really?" she asked, and Emily nodded. Daniel looked at Lily and shrugged, and Lily laughed again. Suddenly, there was a hooting noise from above and Jackie landed on the table in front of Daniel, holding her leg out. Daniel untied the letter and Jackie, whose eyes had been on Lily the whole time, flew up and landed on Lily's hair. James burst into laughter and Lily squealed as the owl nipped at her head. Emily and Daniel watched, amused and fascinated, as the owl picked up a lock of Lily's hair. Emily reached up and grabbed the owl, bringing her back down onto the table, leaving Lily rubbing at the spot on her head where Jackie had pecked her.

"I see James wasn't exaggerating," Daniel chuckled, as he looked at James, who was wiping at his eyes.

"Well it's understandable. I mean, look at her hair, its auburn, and its shiny," Emily shrugged, looking appreciatively up at Lily's hair, "No wonder Jackie likes it," Emily reached out and grabbed a lock of Lily's hair, "this is natural right?" she asked, and Lily nodded, "it's beautiful," she said, and Lily turned to grin at her.

"Mum that's my property," James said, looking pointedly at Lily's hair in Emily's hand.

"Excuse me?" Lily said, looking at James, eyebrows raised. James grinned cheekily at her and Lily rolled her eyes. There was a crack beside her and Alan showed up with four plates. He put Lily's in front of her, and then set the other plates in front of the Potters.

"Enjoy Lily madam," he said, before disapparating.

"Lily, I see you have an admirer," Emily said, shaking her head as she turned to her food, and Lily blushed.

"Oh James you have competition," Daniel said, clapping James on the shoulder.

"Something to think about," Lily said, winking at James, who laughed.

"I'm not going to lose to a house elf Lils," he said, and Lily shrugged.

"You never know James. He doesn't go around calling me his property," she said, looking up at James. Daniel and Emily watched James and Lily banter with amused expressions on their faces.

"I was kidding Evans you know that," James said, rolling his eyes, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well if you get so overconfident and your head inflates I wont be able to talk to you," Lily said, shrugging, "I don't like inflated heads," she said, and James rolled his eyes.

"I bet you've been waiting to insult me since we started term," he grinned, and Lily laughed.

"Not necessarily I used it on Sirius a lot. Relieved the urge and that way the classic insults don't die out," she shrugged and James grinned at her cheekily.

"Also you don't want to lose your perfect gorgeous boyfriend now do you?" he asked.

"Sirius?" she said, winking at James, who looked insulted. Emily and Daniel burst into laughter and Lily jumped; she had forgotten James' parents were there.

"I'll get you for that Evans," James said, narrowing his eyes at her playfully and Lily felt her stomach swoop; the last time he had looked at her like that, it had been before their snogging session in her room.

"Bring it Potter," she said, raising her eyebrows and James waggled his eyebrows at her. Emily chuckled once again, happy that her son had found someone like Lily. Daniel smiled at Lily, knowing he liked her even if he hadn't talked to her much, and turned to read the letter. Daniel groaned and Lily, James and Emily turned to Daniel.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Emily asked, looking at Daniel. Lily scrunched her nose; she couldn't imagine ever calling James something gooey such as 'sweetie'. James seemed to be thinking along similar lines and turned to look at Lily, to see her scrunched nose, and the two of them grinned at each other.

"We have to go in to the Ministry today," he groaned, hurriedly eating his breakfast, "there's been an attack and they need Aurors on the scene immediately to investigate," Daniel said.

"Was anyone killed?" Emily asked, and Lily heard a hint of sorrow in her voice, and felt her heart sink as she realized the trauma that word must have had on the Potters.

"I don't know," Daniel said quietly, looking at the empty seat next to James. James was quiet and was looking at Lily.

"We should probably get going," Emily nodded, her breakfast already finished. She turned to Lily and smiled, "We'll catch up later, I want to get to know you better while you're here," she smiled, before standing up. Not bothered to walk all the way up to their room, Emily and Daniel pointed to their clothes, which changed to their Military attire.

"See you later," Daniel said, smiling at both Lily and James, before grabbing his wife's hand and the two of them disapparated with a pop. James looked up at Lily and smirked, and Lily felt her stomach swoop. She had finished her breakfast, as had James.

"Anna!" James called, and Anna appeared next to James.

"Yes?" she asked, and waved over at Lily who waved back.

"Mum and Dad have gone out for work, and Lily and I are going to go upstairs alright?" he said, looking at Anna, who nodded.

"You do not want to be disturbed?" she asked, and James nodded, grinning at Anna who rolled her eyes, "you are such a male Master James," she said, before disapparating.

"You are now at my mercy," James said, smirking at Lily. Lily squealed and jumped out of her chair. James stood up simultaneously and Lily found herself trapped in the dining room, "Okay I'll give you a ten second head start, this would be unfair and no fun," he said, and looked at her. He started to count backwards from ten and Lily ran out of the dining room. She found the stairs and sprinted up them as James yelled out 'one'. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see James starting up the stairs, and screamed. She had reached the top of the stairs and ran down the corridor that led to hers and James room. James couldn't see her so she ran into his room, assuming that he would expect her to run into hers. She hid under James' bed and kept quiet. She heard James push open the door to her room and then swiftly shut the door, heading into his. He pulled out his wand and pointed it in the room, "_Homenum revelio," _he muttered and then smirked, putting his wand down on his dresser, and shutting the door behind him. Lily narrowed her eyes; that was cheating, "I know you're in here Lils," he said and Lily felt her spine tingle. She watched as James' feet disappeared, heading towards the other side of the room.

Suddenly, she felt something grasp her foot. She screamed as James pulled her out from under the bed. He held her down on the floor, and lay down on top of her, making it impossible for her to escape, "that was cheating," she said, glaring up at James who smirked.

"No rules were specified, so technically, it wasn't cheating," he winked. He leaned down to kiss her but Lily rolled out from under him gracefully, and stood up, grinning down at James, laying on the floor. He glared up at her, "now _that _was cheating," he said, standing up, "I already caught you."

"No rules were specified so technically it wasn't cheating," Lily grinned, and James rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"I'm still going to win Evans," he said, walking towards her and Lily kept backing up. She found herself with her back against the wall and froze, "See?" he whispered, standing close to her and Lily rolled her eyes.

"This isn't fair! You always corner me," she whined, and James chuckled. He put his hands in her hair, running his hands through it and twirling strands in between his fingers.

"Don't tell me you don't enjoy it Evans?" James said, pretending to be shocked, and Lily rolled her eyes. Lily opened her mouth to say something but was unable to as James lowered his mouth to hers.

"What if I don't want to kiss you?" she said, pulling away from him, looking at him challengingly. James shrugged.

"Fine by me, you don't have to kiss me," he said, and smirked, before leaning down to kiss her jaw-line, "but that doesn't stop me from kissing you," he whispered in her ear, and Lily trembled. James chuckled and kissed Lily behind the ear.

"You're going to kill me," Lily whined quietly, gripping James' shoulders and pulling herself closer to him, "you know that?" Lily felt James chuckle against her and turned her head to kiss his neck. She felt him squirm and snickered.

"No fair, you know I'm ticklish there," he said, pulling back so he could look a grinning Lily in the eye, "And quite the contrary actually," he said, leaning his forehead against hers, "I think you're going to end up killing me," he said. Lily grinned and got up on her tiptoes to kiss him. James held her to him, and deepened the kiss, not that Lily minded. There was a buzzing sound from the other side of the room, and Lily pulled away from James. She turned her head to see what the source of the buzzing was and James leaned down to kiss her neck, "forget it, it's only Sirius," he muttered, and Lily rolled her eyes. She pushed James away from her and walked over to pick up the mirror, "Lily I wouldn't answer that!"

"Hey Sirius," she said into the mirror, and Sirius's face appeared in the mirror. He looked at Lily and froze, before smirking.

"What were you just doing?" he asked and Lily looked at him curiously. James came up behind her and dangled a piece of fabric in front of her face, which Lily recognized as her tank top. She looked down to see herself standing in her bra and screamed, taking the tank top from a snickering James, covering herself up.

"How do you keep managing to do that!" she exclaimed, and she heard Sirius snicker, "oh shut up Black," she said, and handed the mirror to James, blushing.

"Nice one Prongs," she heard Sirius say and James grinned down at the mirror and winked.

"I hate you all," she said, pulling the tank top on and turning around to see James grinning up at her, "I will kill you when there are no witness' present," she said, gesturing to the mirror and James snickered, as did Sirius.

"Well Lily-flower I don't think anyone would mind if you killed them dressed in the attire you were in when you answered the mirror," she heard Sirius say, and blushed. She saw James look down at Sirius with a sly grin on his face.

"Sirius how much did you see?" she asked, walking back over to James.

"Well how much of me can you see Lily-flower?" he asked, and Lily saw him gesture to himself. She looked and saw that she could see to right under Sirius' armpits.

"Oh no," she mumbled, crossing her arms self-consciously over her chest.

"So that makes it a grand number of two times I have seen you dressed inappropriately," Sirius said, grinning and winking up at Lily who rolled her eyes.

"Where's Hest?" she asked, and Sirius winked at her.

"Don't worry I wont tell her. It'll be between us," Lily felt her face heat up and Sirius snickered, and James chuckled silently behind her.

"Not why I was asking, Black," she said, looking anywhere but at Sirius and James.

"It's Black now? Oh but I was enjoying being called Sirius," he said, pouting and Lily rolled her eyes, "She just went to her dorm to get something," he said, answering Lily's first question, "She'll be here in less than a minute probably," he said, and turned back to smirk at James, "So seriously, what _were _you two doing?" Lily saw James wink and Sirius 'woo-hooed' and Lily glared at them both.

"It wasn't _that_!" she squealed, and both the boys laughed.

"That's not what we were suggesting, but I don't mind discussing that," James said, looking at Lily, who rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to leave," she said, storming away from them.

"Bye Lily-flower!" Sirius yelled.

"Lily!" Lily heard and she ran back to James, "Did you say Lily? Where is she?" Hestia asked, as she entered the dorm. Sirius gestured to the mirror and Hestia squealed running over. Lily saw her best friends face in the mirror and the two girls squealed, "Lily! Oh Merlin I have missed you! What's wrong with your hair? It looks as if you two have just been snogging," she said, and Lily heard Sirius snicker.

"Not just snogging, shirtless snogging," he said, and Lily turned bright maroon.

"How would you know she was shirtless?" Hestia asked sternly, turning to look at Sirius, who stuttered, and Lily snickered, as did James, "Did he see you shirtless?" Hestia asked, turning back to the mirror and winking. Lily grinned and nodded and Hestia laughed, "I thought our bright Head Girl would remember to put a shirt on after talking to someone," Hestia said, rolling her eyes.

"She was not aware that she was not wearing a shirt, I'm sneaky," James said, winking at Hestia, who laughed.

"Okay Lily, I think we should allow these boys to talk about Merlin knows what they talk about. Go reply to my letter!" Hestia squealed, and Lily groaned.

"But my hand hurts!" Lily whined, and she heard Sirius snicker.

"What have you been doing with your hands Lily-flower?" Lily's blush deepened and beside her she felt heat radiate off of James' skin.

"I'll go reply to your letter," Lily said, looking at Hestia and ignoring Sirius, who was snickering at her blush.

"Details!" Hestia screamed and Lily rolled her eyes. She started to walk out of the room.

"Be right back Pads," James said, setting the mirror down and heading over to Lily. He wrapped his arms around her and turned her so she was facing him, "We'll finish this later," he whispered, and Lily felt tingles flow down her spine, and she nodded. James chuckled and kissed Lily's nose before picking up his mirror.

"Prongsie do you think Hest and I could come over there? And bring Remus along? It's dead boring here," Sirius said, and James grinned.

"Sure, it's fine by me. When do you want to come?"

"Would now be okay? I don't fancy sitting here while these two have a snog fest," Remus said, showing up, gesturing to Sirius and Hestia.

"Sure that would be great," James grinned, and Lily walked over to him, and grinned down at Hestia who was jumping up and down and squealing.

"Hello Lily," Remus said, smiling at Lily, who grinned at him.

"Thanks for the letter Remus," she said, and Remus grinned.

"Anytime Lily-flower," he winked, and Lily laughed.

"What letter?" James asked, and Lily shook her head, "What letter?" he asked again, turning to face Remus, who, after looking at Lily, shook his head, causing James to growl in frustration.

Remus laughed, "We'll be there in 20 minutes," he said, and the mirror went black. James turned to face Lily.

"What letter?"

"Nothing! Remus and Hestia sent me letters last night whilst you were talking to Sirius," she shrugged, "Remus told me," she said, as James raised his eyebrows.

"Well can we finish now?" James asked, wrapping his arms around her waist, and Lily sighed

"I suppose I can do that," she said, and James grinned. He dropped his lips onto hers again and Lily, just for the fun of it, bit his lower lip. James groaned and Lily felt a great satisfaction. She pushed James and he toppled onto Sirius' bed.

"I don't know if Sirius will appreciate this," James winked, and Lily laughed. James leaned back, resting on his elbows, and Lily sat down on his stomach. She bent over to kiss him, a hand in her hair keeping it out of her face. James grabbed her hand and let her hair drop on them. James sat up straight, so that Lily was sitting on his lap, never breaking the kiss. James put his hands on Lily's waist, holding her in place, and Lily rested her arms on James' shoulders. Lily took James' shirt off and threw it to the other side of the room and felt James' hands on her bare stomach. _How does he do that? _Lily screamed to herself. James' hands drifted up Lily's back to the back of her bra and Lily jumped off James. James hadn't been about to do what Lily had thought, and he stood up, walking towards her. He put his hand back where it had been and drifted it further up to the back of Lily's neck, to show her what he had wanted to do. He saw Lily's relieved expression and smiled at her.

They heard a crack outside the door. "Just a minute!" James yelled towards the door, and ran to the other side of his room, putting on his shirt. He threw Lily's tank top to her and she put it on. James pulled the door open to see Anna standing there.

"Master Sirius is here Master James, he and two others just entered the gate" she said, and James nodded his thanks. He looked at Lily, whose appearance was disheveled, and whose hair was tangled because of the snogging and grinned at her. He conjured up a hairbrush and started to brush out her hair.

"I can do that!" Lily protested, but James rolled his eyes.

"I know you can. I want to," he said. Lily rolled her eyes and when James was done brushing her hair, satisfied with himself, he took her hand and led her downstairs. They walked to the foyer and opened the door. Hestia ran down the path to Lily and flew into a hug.

"Oh Merlin I'm so glad we can spend time together!" Hestia squealed, and Lily laughed.

"PRONGSIE!" Sirius yelled, flying into James' arms similarly to the way Hestia had flown into Lily's. Hestia rolled her eyes and released Lily. Lily turned to Remus and grinned.

"Hi Remus!" she said, and hugged the werewolf. Remus looked unwell, and Lily mentally calculated that the full moon had been two nights ago night. Remus hugged her back and turned to Sirius and James, grinning. He and James clapped each other on the back and then Hestia squealed and hugged James. Sirius looked at Lily and smirked, and Lily resolutely refused to hug him. Sirius laughed and slung an arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about Lily-flower," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes. They entered to see Anna standing in the foyer, "ANNA BANANA!" Sirius yelled and Lily saw Anna grin. Sirius hugged the house elf and Anna laughed.

"Nice to see you again Master Sirius," she said, and Lily noticed a faint blush on Anna's face. Apparently it wasn't only human females who found Sirius Black irresistible. The five of them headed upstairs and Hestia followed Lily into her bedroom while the boys went into James'.

"This place is, wow," Hestia said, looking around, and dropping her trunk on the floor. She pulled off her jacket and rummaged in her trunk for her pajamas. She threw them on and grinned at Lily, "much better," she said, and Lily grinned. Hestia and Lily sat on the bed together and talked, discussing Hestia's letter, Remus' letter, and the snogging adventures of James and Lily, as well as Hestia and Sirius. The two girls jumped as the door was blasted open and Sirius walked in, followed by Remus and James.

"Hello females," Sirius said, sitting down on Lily's bed, "See Lily-flower, I told you I'd get in your bed," he winked, and Lily rolled her eyes as James and Remus guffawed.

"Congratulations Black. Now will you please get off my bed? I don't like dogs on my bed," Lily shuddered, and Sirius glared at her.

"I have found a worthy opponent," Sirius declared, holding his hand out to Lily, and Lily took a mock bow. James sat down next to Lily and Remus sat in between Sirius and James.

"What were you two talking about?" Remus asked curiously, "we heard squealing and laughing."

"That is confidential information that cannot be shared," Hestia said, looking at Lily who grinned at her.

"That's pretty much the definition of confidential you've got there," James said cheekily, pulling Lily into his lap.

"MOONY! BETRAYAL!" everyone's heads snapped up to see Sirius holding two letters in his hands, the ones that Lily had received last night. He was grinning and looking down at the letter from Remus, "I thought you were writing to your mum!" Sirius said, and Lily laughed.

"Oh that's the letter you were writing oh so secretively?" James asked, grinning at Remus, who shrugged. Sirius began to read Hestia's but Hestia grabbed it swiftly, shoving it down her shirt.

"Don't think I wont go in there and get it," Sirius winked, and Hestia blushed, but rolled her eyes.

"Lily! James!" Their heads snapped up in the direction of the family room, and Lily recognized Emily's voice.

"In Lily's room!" James yelled, and Emily headed over to Lily's room, Daniel behind her. When they turned into the room, they stopped, not expecting to see so many people.

"Mrs. Potter!" Sirius yelled, standing up and hugging Emily. Emily laughed and hugged him back.

"Good to see you too Sirius," she said, rolling her eyes, and Sirius grinned.

"Senior Potter!" he yelled, and Daniel looked down at him, insulted.

"_Senior? _Who do you think you are?" he laughed, and pulled his adopted son into a hug. He pulled away from Sirius and looked at Remus, "Remus! It's been so long!" he exclaimed, and Remus stood up, expecting handshakes, but receiving hugs from both of James' parents, "And who's this?" Daniel asked, turning towards Hestia.

"Hestia Jones, nice to meet you sir," Hestia said, standing up and holding her hand out. Daniel shook it with a friendly smile on his face. Emily was looking at Hestia.

"Sirius' girlfriend?" she asked, smirking at Sirius, who blushed, "It's nice to meet you," she grinned, holding her hand out to Hestia, who shook it, "and also Lily's best friend am I correct?" Hestia nodded and grinned, "Lily!" Emily said happily, and Lily grinned and stood up to hug Emily, "Oh and hello James," she said winking at James who gasped, looking mock insulted.

"I think your mother likes Lily more than you mate," Sirius said, clapping James on the back, and James pretended to look hurt.

"I would comfort you but I like her better too," Daniel shrugged playfully, and James stuck his tongue out at him. Lily laughed and Daniel pulled her into a one armed hug.

"No worries Lily's parents like me better," James grinned at Lily and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"Only because you were flirting with all of them," she said from between James' parents. Emily rolled her eyes while Daniel winked at his son.

"Typical, these Potter men are going to be the death of us Lily dear," Emily said, glaring at her husband, "At one point I thought he was going to propose to my mum," Emily said, and everyone chuckled.

"I would have she was a hell of a lot nicer to me than you were," Daniel said sweetly to his wife, who narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well anyone would hate their boyfriend if he spent more time schmoozing their mums than with them," Emily said, turning to look at Lily for support.

"I agree with her," Lily said, raising her hand, and Emily looked smugly back at her husband.

"I do too if it helps," Hestia said, raising her hand.

"Hestia!" Sirius said, turning to look at her.

"I think we'll get along lovely," Emily said, smiling sweetly at Hestia.

"Face it Mr. Potter. You're doomed," Remus said, looking at Mr. Potter, who sighed.

"It's okay Mr. P. You still have me!" Sirius said, standing up and spreading his arms out.

"And your second favorite child!" James said, standing up and mimicking Sirius.

"Third actually," Emily said, winking at Sirius. James' face turned pink and Emily laughed, and ruffled his hair.

"We could make Remus our third actually, he's a lot better behaved," Daniel mused, turning to his wife with an expression of mock seriousness on his face. Daniel looked down at Lily and winked and Lily bit back a laugh.

"And Hestia dear too of course, I mean, we need more females in this family," Emily sighed, and Daniel nodded seriously.

"So that makes James our sixth favorite child," Daniel said, looking down at James, who was glaring at his parents as if he was hexing them with his eyes.

"Why six? There's Lily, Sirius, Remus, James and myself, wouldn't he be the fifth?" Hestia asked curiously, and Lily looked up at Emily, whose face was a bit pale, and Daniel, who looked like his eyes were burning. She looked down at James, who Sirius and Remus were looking at as well, to see an odd dead look in his eyes.

"She's thinking about Petunia," Lily said quickly, "She can't adopt me and not adopt my _beloved _sister. It would give her even more reasons to hate me," Lily said, rolling her eyes. Sirius, Remus and Hestia laughed, and Emily looked down at Lily and mouthed 'thank you' to her, while Daniel subtly wiped his eyes. James grinned at Lily and she smiled down at him.

"So I'm after Petty now? What about the whale?" James asked, looking seriously at Lily.

"Eh, well technically if you adopt Petunia now the whale is an added bonus," Lily said seriously, and James nodded seriously.

"Yes so that makes me, what, seventh?" James asked, and Lily nodded seriously.

"Who's the whale?"

"Vernon Dursley," Lily said, her nose wrinkling. They spent the rest of the time discussing Petunia and Vernon, and Lily found herself doubled over laughing as Sirius made a demonstration of Petunia and Vernon, er, honeymooning, after Mr. and Mrs. Potter had left the room of course. There was a crack and Lily turned to see Anna.

"ANNA!" Sirius screamed, and Lily saw Anna's skin flush a little. She turned to James, who was trying not to laugh.

"Miss Lily, Mistress Potter would like a word with you," Anna said after waving at Sirius.

"Word with the mum-in-law. Good luck with that Evans," Sirius said in mock anxiety, and Lily felt James blush next to her.

"Mum-in-law?" Remus said, sensing James' embarrassment and turning to look at Sirius.

"Well, mum-in-law to be," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Lily felt even more heat radiate off of James' body and pretended to ignore it.

"Where is she Anna?" Lily asked, attempting to get off the bed, but James wouldn't let her.

"Mistress Potter is in the other bedroom," Anna said, her ears dropping a bit. Lily turned to frown at James, who sighed.

"Alissa's bedroom," James said quietly, and Lily felt her eyes widen. Why was she being asked to go to Alissa's bedroom?

"I don't know where that is," Lily said turning to Anna, who smiled a little.

"That is why Anna has come to take you there, Miss Lily," Anna said, and Lily grinned.

"Alright," she said, trying to get up, but James' arms tightened around her middle, "Oh for the love of Merlin, James!" she said, slapping James' arm, which was on her stomach. Sirius barked out a laugh while Remus chuckled, "Hestia!" she whined, turning over to look at Hestia.

"No, I'm with James on this one, I don't want to be left in a room alone with three pubescent boys," she shuddered, and Lily laughed at Sirius' wounded expression.

"I'll be back soon," she promised, not sure if she was promising Hestia or James. James sighed and released her, "For the love of Merlin's left sock," she muttered, walking over to Anna, who grinned up at Lily.

"Merlin's left sock, Miss Lily?" she asked, and Lily grinned down at Anna.

"Well I always thought the right was too favored," Remus shrugged, and Lily smiled at him.

"At least someone understands me," she said, and she heard Hestia scoff, but ignored it, "lead the way Anna," she said, gesturing forwards, and Anna grinned, and walked out the room.

"BYE ANNA BANANA! And by to you too my fair maiden," Sirius said, getting down on one knee next to Lily, who rolled her eyes, and walked around the kneeling Sirius to follow Anna out of the door, "I AM HURT EVANS!" she heard Sirius yell after her and laugh, as did Anna.

"Master Sirius is special," Anna said, rolling her eyes, and Lilly laughed.

"I think special is an understatement," Lily grinned, and she watched Anna bob her head enthusiastically.

"Anna is happy Master James has found someone like Miss Lily. Everything has been very different at home since…"Anna trailed off and Lily looked down at her sadly.

"Did you spend lots of time with her?" Lily asked, and Anna nodded her head, her ears flapping around.

"Miss Alissa was a funny girl," Anna said, shaking her head nostalgically and Lily nodded, "But I wish not to think about it, Anna misses her very much," Lily nodded and put her hand on Anna's shoulder. They walked the rest of the way to Alissa's room in silence. Lily noticed it was down a separate corridor. Anna stopped in front of the door, smiled, and disapparated. Lily looked at the door. It was pink. There was a flowery sign on it that read 'Alissa' in cursive. Lily smiled and traced the word with her finger.

She took a breath and knocked on the door. She heard someone say 'come in' and pushed open the door to see Emily sitting on Alissa's bed, cross-legged, wearing sweat pants and a large shirt. Emily smiled as she saw Lily, and patted a spot on the bed in front of her. Lily sat down nervously, looking around the room. The inside of the room was nothing like the door. It was messy and there was not a hit of pink in sight. There were hand drawn pictures on the walls as well as several posters and photographs. The photographs waved at her, and she grinned at them.

"Lily," Emily started, "I wanted to thank you," she said, and Lily started. That was not what she had been expecting.

"I haven't done anything," Lily blurted out, looking at Emily with a bewildered expression, and she saw Emily laugh.

"You haven't noticed what you've done," Emily chuckled, "Ever since Alissa died, James has been, different. Especially when he's with us. I wrote to you after I read a letter of his that reminded me of the way James used to be, after the two of you had started talking. And now I see him here, and he seems happier to be back home then he was during the summer," she said quietly, "Alissa's death has taken a huge toll on all of us, but especially James." She stood up from the bed and walked over to the other wall, and Lily followed her. She was looking at a photograph of Alissa and James.

"This was taken about a week before it happened, when Alissa had received her Hogwarts letter," Emily said, smiling fondly at the photograph. Lily looked at Alissa. She was a lot different than she had been in James' wallet. She was older in this picture. Alissa was sitting next to James on a sofa and the two of them wouldn't stop talking. Lily noticed the Hogwarts letter in Alissa's hand and she saw the James in the picture ruffle his sister's hair, causing Alissa to yell and fix her hair, slapping James in the arm, "they were probably the closest siblings I've ever seen," Emily said, wiping at her eyes as she watched James ruffle Alissa's hair again. She turned to face Lily and looked at her carefully.

"The first thing Alissa said after the excitement had worn off was 'I want to meet Lily'," Lily froze, and turned to look at Emily, who was smiling at her, "I don't think you realize how much James likes you," she chuckled and Lily felt a blush creep under her cheeks, "and I want to thank you for finally saying yes to him, I think you fixed him."

Lily felt tears well up in her eyes and she turned to look at the photo beside it, of Alissa by herself, waving at the camera, holding up her Hogwarts letter proudly. Lily sighed, "I would have love to have met her," she said quietly, and she heard Emily laugh.

"I doubt it. I think she had secret intentions to hex you for not saying yes to her big brother sooner," Emily snorted, and Lily laughed.

"I could take her," Lily laughed, and she heard Emily laugh as well.

"Now go back before those boys permanently scar poor Hestia," Emily said in mock horror and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I think Hestia would permanently scar them to be honest." Emily grinned and pulled Lily into a hug, which Lily returned.

"I will see you later. Anna said she'd bring food up to James' room, not yours because those boys eat like animals and it gets everywhere. I wouldn't let anyone put you through the torture of sleeping on crumbs," she shuddered, and Lily grinned.

"Thank you," Lily said quietly, and Emily looked up at her, shocked.

"For what?"

"Everything; letting me come over, being so nice to me," Lily shrugged, and she saw Emily roll her eyes.

"Lily I've wanted to meet you since your first day at Hogwarts," she laughed, and Lily grinned, "Now go before Sirius and Hestia scar my poor son." Lily laughed and allowed herself to be pushed out of the room by Emily.

"Bye Mrs. Potter!" she said.

"It's Emily!" she heard a voice yell and laughed as she walked back to her room. She walked in to find Hestia lying on the bed while the other three boys sat around her, laughing at her.

"What did you do to her?" she asked, looking around at the three boys.

"LILYFLOWER!" Sirius yelled, jumping off the bed to pull her into a bear hug.

"Lily?" Hestia sat up and looked at her, and a grin split on her face, "Merlin Lily took you long enough! I just endured pubescent boys discussing girls. It was mortifying," she groaned, falling back onto the bed, and Lily laughed.

"That does sound terrible," she said, sitting down next to Hestia.

"Well, fine, hi to you too Lily," James said, rolling his eyes at her.

"I don't think you're Lily-flowers' favorite either," Sirius said, winking at Lily.

"Now that's just unfair," James pouted, and Lily grinned at him.

"Life's unfair Potter, deal with it," she said and Remus laughed.

"So it's 'Potter' again, then?"

"It's 'Potter' when I feel like it," Lily shrugged, and Remus grinned.

"Fine Evans," James said, leaning back against the headboard. Lily grinned and turned to look at James.

"Hi James," she said, and James rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"All that complaining, the least you could do is say hi back," Hestia scoffed, leaning her head against Lily's shoulder. Sirius and Remus laughed, as James turned, incredulously, to look at Hestia as Lily snickered.

"Oh, Anna brought foot to James' room," Lily suddenly remembered as her stomach growled.

"FOOD?" Sirius yelled, jumping up.

"Yes, food," Lily said, grinning at Sirius.

"FOOD!" he yelled. He picked a screaming Hestia up and ran out of the room, Remus chuckling as he followed them, leaving Lily and James on the bed.

"So what'd mum want?" James asked, twirling Lily's fingers in between his, looking down at their intertwined hands.

"It's a secret," she whispered, and James smiled, looking up to meet her eyes. Lily leaned forward and kissed James on the cheek before jumping up, "FOOD!" she yelled and James laughed, getting off the bed.

"Lily Evans you are a strange one," he muttered.

"Oh shut up Potter," she said, tugging on his hand. They walked into James' room to find Sirius practically inhaling food. Lily scrunched her nose up before turning away from the not-so-pleasant sight. She picked up a sandwich and sat down on Hestia's lap.

"Shveeett gwil og gwal" Sirius said through his mouthful of food, turning to waggle his eyebrows at them.

"I don't bother," Hestia said, rolling her eyes, and Lily laughed.

"He said 'sweet girl on girl'" Remus said, sitting in a corner, reading a book. Lily and Hestia rolled their eyes.

"Cboh nooyee frop geadig!" Sirius whined, and Lily laughed.

"I actually understood that one, I'm definitely spending too much time with you," she said, glaring at Sirius, who swallowed his food and grinned at her.

"And you're loving every second if aren't you?"

"Not in the slightest," she said, rolling her eyes, laughing at Sirius' hurt expression. James chuckled and clapped Sirius on the back.

"Sorry mate."

"Eh, at least she loves me more than she loves you," Sirius winked at Lily, and Lily blushed. She slid off of Hestia's lap and hid behind her, while Hestia laughed.

"If that were true, I wouldn't advertise it in front of Prongs there, you know how he gets," Remus said, grinning at James, who glared back at his friend. Lily laughed and walked over towards James and Sirius, sitting down on Sirius' lap.

"Told you," Sirius said cheekily to James, who rolled his eyes. Sirius wound his hands around Lily's middle and she jumped up, "Aw c'mon Lily-flower, where's your adventurous spirit?" he asked and James smacked him in the arm. Sirius looked at his arm and up at James, "That hurt mate," he said, and James winked.

"I know." Lily laughed and decided to sit on James' bed.

"I know why she wants to sit over there, considering what you two must've done on it," Sirius said, turning to grin cheekily at James, who turned red.

"Actually that was your bed Sirius," Lily laughed, and Sirius's grin turned to a mask of horror.

"You did not! You ruined my bed's innocence!" he gasped, and James nodded, grinning. Sirius whined and the rest of them laughed at his expense. Lily got up to walk out of the room after a while and was followed by James. Lily walked into her room and James walked in behind her, shutting the door behind him. Lily turned around; she hadn't realized James was following her.

"Yes James?" she asked, smiling at him. James took a few steps closer and wrapped his arms around her.

"I have to tell you something," he said quietly.

"The thing from last night?"

"Yeah"

"Okay, go ahead."

"I don't know if I can though," he said, looking down at the floor.

"Well what is it?"

"That falls under the category of me telling you!" he said, and Lily laughed.

"I don't bite James."

"Well I can say different," he winked, and Lily blushed.

"Just say it James, I don't want to have to guess," at the word guess however, James' eyes lit up.

"It's not so hard to guess!" he said as Lily groaned, "Okay it's a phrase,"

"Not helping, how many words is it?"

"Three." Lily looked up, shocked, into James' hazel eyes.

"Number of letters?" she asked quietly, still looking at his eyes.

"Eight," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I love you too James."


	11. Slaves

**Hello all! I am past the half way mark in my exams :D 4 down, two to go. So in celebration [and procrastination] I am writing a chapter. Or I'm staring it at least. I have no idea when it'll be up. They seem to be getting longer. It's like a disease. For those of you who are wondering, I have absolutely no idea how this story is going to end (: I wrote a plan and everything, but I think I just want to see how it flows. I hope none of you are procrastinating or not sleeping because of this story. It's a story guys you need your sleep more. BUT I DO appreciate you reading this story it makes my day to read your reviews (:**

**ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I am not JK don't sue me PLEASE**

_**Previously:**_

"_It's not so hard to guess!" he said as Lily groaned, "Okay it's a phrase,"_

"_Not helping, how many words is it?"_

"_Three." Lily looked up, shocked, into James' hazel eyes._

"_Number of letters?" she asked quietly, still looking at his eyes._

"_Eight," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers._

"_I love you too James." _

"You what?" James asked, looking down at her in wonder.

"Isn't that what you were going to say?" Lily said nervously, taking a few steps away from him. James was looking at her with an unfathomable expression in those hazel eyes of his.

"Well yeah, but, I didn't expect you to say it back," James said sheepishly, looking down at the floor, running a hand through his hair. He looked back up at her and Lily saw the depths of his joy in his eyes. She rolled her eyes.

"Thanks you scared me half to death. Just _Avada-Kedavra_ me why don't you?" she teased, and James chuckled, stepping towards her. He grabbed her face in his hands but she pushed him away, "No," she said.

"Lils you just said that you love me and you expect me not to want to kiss you?" he asked incredulously.

"You didn't say it!" she said, "And since you have not said it I am not going to kiss you until you do," she shrugged, and walked around him. James grabbed her arm.

"I love you Lils," he said, smiling at her. Lily felt her stomach flip and her heart inflate as she heard those words. She was so happy. James took a step towards her and she backed up again, "What _now _Lily?" James whined, and Lily grinned at him.

"You have to do it as romantically as I did," she said, and James rolled his eyes.

"That wasn't romantic"

"It was too! I guessed it. You made me guess and instead of you saying the words I replied. It was romantic. You on the other hand are only saying it so you can snog me. And that is not a good way to say it," she said, and with a wink, she turned around and marched out of the room, leaving James standing there with a dumbstruck expression on his face, which slowly turned into a smirk. He knew exactly how he was going to tell her.

He followed her out of the her room and barged into his, where Lily was sitting on Sirius' bed next to Sirius, "Females, leave," he instructed, pointing at the door. Lily looked up at him and he winked down at her.

"Well that's rather rude," Hestia said, from Sirius' lap.

"Yes Prongs what if we don't want the females to leave?" Remus said from where he was still sitting in the corner with his book.

"The females are leaving," James said, looking at Hestia, who stood up and huffed.

"Lily I need to find you a new boyfriend," she huffed, and grabbed Lily's hand. Lily giggled.

"I need to find you one with manners," she said, matching Hestia's tone.

"Lily this is males we are speaking of. Unless I date Remus I will not find a man with manners," Hestia said, with a wink over her shoulder at Remus, who had blushed. Sirius growled and stood up.

"I'll show you manners," he muttered, heading over to Remus, who took out his wand, just in case. Sirius pounced on Remus, who put up a shield charm, causing Sirius to fall on the floor, "Well played mate," Sirius said, and Remus chuckled.

"Let's go before your boyfriend blows a fuse," Hestia said, winking at James. She started to walk away and then squealed, turning back to Lily, "Remember that thing we were discussing?" she yelled.

"Hestia we discuss a lot of things," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"The thing about the Marauders," Hestia squealed. Lily looked at her blankly, "Oh Merlin Lily you're useless! Remember that time when I was trying to cheer you up in fifth year after Severus called you a mudblood?" Hestia said, and Lily nodded, "And I made a joke about getting James, Sirius and Remus in a room and asking them a question?" Lily's eyes widened as she remembered, and she started to giggle, and Hestia grinned.

"What were and are you secretly discussing about us?" Remus asked worriedly. James and Sirius were looking at the girls in curiosity. The girls ignored Remus and continued giggling.

"Should I?" Hestia asked.

"I think you should it would be phenomenal," Lily snickered, looking from James, to Sirius, to Remus, who had dumfounded and slightly fearful expressions on their faces. Hestia laughed and turned back to the boys, clearing her throat.

"Which one of you is the good-looking one?" she asked innocently.

"Me," the three boys scoffed together, and then looked at each other with wide eyes.

"That's not true!" Sirius yelled at James and Remus. Remus, who had finally lain his book down stood up.

"Oh and you think it's you with your stupid grey eyes and swishy hair?" Remus challenged.

"Well it cant be you with your sandy hair and stupid blue eyes!"

"You both have a point"

"Oh shut up Mr. I-have-messy-hair-and-hazel-eyes-I'm-so-cool!" Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"That's rich coming from Mr. I-look-like-I-have-curtains-attatched-to-my-forehead!" James retorted. Remus snorted and they both turned to look at him.

"Don't even get me started," Sirius snorted. The three boys broke off at the sound of choking. They turned around to see Lily and Hestia doubled up with laughter.

"You planned this!" Remus yelled, pointing a finger at the girls, who couldn't stop laughing.

"So…funny!" Hestia managed to gasp out, holding onto the doorknob for support.

"Just like we thought it would be!" Lily laughed. The two girls finally calmed down enough to look at the boys, who were looking at the girls with mischievous expressions, "Oh Merlin."

"You're not going to get away so easily," Sirius said quietly, taking a step towards the girls.

"Wait! Rule! No wands," Remus said.

"Why?" Sirius whined, turning around to look at his friend.

"Well I don't know about you, but I don't want to be against Lily with a wand," Remus said warily.

"I second that!" Sirius raised his hand, and the girls rolled their eyes.

"Fine," Lily said, pulling out her wand. Remus summoned all the wands and put them on James' dresser.

"Now we may begin," Remus said. He turned to smirk at Lily and Hestia, who found themselves surrounded by boys, backed up against the dresser.

"Not the smartest move, don't you think?" Hestia asked, warily, eyeing her boyfriend, who was smirking the largest.

"No not at all," Lily said back to her.

"Idea!" Hestia sung, turning to whisper in Lily's ear. Lily grinned and nodded enthusiastically. The boys eyed them warily, and took a step back, just in case. The girls took a step towards the boys, who took another step back. The girls took two more advancing steps, the boys two more retreating. Hestia and Lily turned to grin at each other, before turning and sprinting out of the door, "Gotcha!" Hestia winked over her shoulder, shutting James' door behind them as they ran out.

"Where do we go?" Hestia whispered, as they sprinted down the hallway, away from James' room. They were at the family room and they could hear the boy's footsteps.

"Follow me!" Lily squealed, and the girls ran down the stairs. They heard the boys' exit the hallway and hurried up. Lily grabbed Hestia's hand and ran out of the back door that lead to the garden of hedges Lily had seen before. They ran into the maze of taller hedges, which were taller than Hestia, who, for the record, was tall.

"Perfect!" Hestia hissed, hi-fiving her best friend. They ran deeper into the maze and decided to stop when they no longer knew which direction they were going in, "They're not going to find us for a while," Hestia said, sinking down onto the floor, gasping for breath.

"Stupid mansion is so big," Lily muttered, leaning against the hedge, clutching at a stitch in her side. She looked around and saw a light near them, "I think we're near the back wall," Lily muttered, and Hestia nodded, "and the entrance is on the other side, so even if they do enter we'll make a quick escape," Hestia grinned up at her best friend.

"Diabolical Lily," she said, and Lily rolled her eyes. They heard a noise and froze.

"Where could they be?"

"They went in the maze"

"Should we wait for them to come out or go in after them?"

"I saw we split up"

"Okay so two in there and one out here?"

"I think other way around so the two out here can grab them"

"Yeah and the one can scare them out"

"I love how they think we're such pansies," Lily muttered, pulling Hestia to her feet quietly, "They're by the entrance so we're safe going out that way." They inched towards the back exit. Lily bravely peered out, and saw that there was no one there.

"Lily! Go! I can see Remus!" Hestia whispered, peering through a hole in the hedge. The two girls snuck out quietly. They could see James and Sirius by the entrance of the maze, "how do we get past?" Hestia whispered. Lily looked around and saw a door close by that led to an underground passage that led back into the mansion.

"We have to get there," she whispered, gesturing to the door. Hestia nodded.

"We'll have to crawl. The short hedges will hide us," Hestia said. The girls nodded and got down on their knees. They made their way quietly to the door.

"I can't find them!" they heard Remus yell from inside the maze. They stopped and Lily poked her finger through the skinny hedge to create a peephole. James and Sirius were still standing outside.

"Need help Moons?" James yelled into the maze, "Let's go," he gestured to Sirius, and the two of them entered the maze. Lily turned around and grinned at Hestia, who was trying not to laugh. They crawled faster to the door. They looked through the hedge to make sure the boys were still inside the maze.

"Prongs! Where are you? Stupid maze," they heard Sirius yell. They grinned at each other and quickly stood up to pull the door open. Thankfully, it was unlocked. They jumped in and closed the door behind them quickly. They found themselves in a long hall with marble floors. There were fire lamps on the walls.

"It's so medieval," Lily murmured as they walked together down the hallway. There was a door at the end. They ran to the door (the hallway was creepy) and Lily slowly pushed it open. She looked around. The ghost was clear. They walked out of the door and found themselves inside the Potter mansion, looking out of the large glass windows that showed them the garden. The boys had just gotten out of the maze. Lily and Hestia grinned at each other.

"Where'd they go?" they heard Sirius yell, and laughed quietly. James, who was looking around, looked at the mansion and saw the two girls. Even from that distance, Lily could see the smirk on his face. He tapped Sirius and Remus on the shoulders, and pointed at them. Lily and Hestia saw the smirks on their faces again.

"Crap," Hestia muttered, as the boys started running towards the house. The two girls, holding hands, sprinted up the stairs. They reached the family room by the time they heard the boys' running footsteps. They were inside the house. Lily grabbed Hestia's hand and ran back towards James' room, "are you crazy!" Hestia said. Lily ran into James' room and shut the door gently.

"Hide!" she whispered to Hestia. Hestia ran and hid in the empty closet. Lily looked around and opened the other closet door, facing James' clothes. She shrugged and jumped in, shutting the door behind her, finding herself in darkness. She started to panic, she had always hated the dark, but found herself surrounded by the smell of James, and she breathed in relief.

"Where are they?"

"They wouldn't have gone into your room Prongs, they're not that stupid."

"You have a point there mate. Lily's room?"

"Doubt it. Too obvious."

"Then where are they?"

Just then, Hestia sneezed.

"Did you hear that?" Lily sent curses at Hestia telepathically. She heard the door to James' room open.

"Their wands are still on the dresser," Lily heard someone, probably Remus, say, standing really close to her closet.

"They don't break rules. It's Lily"

"Touché"

"Well did they come in here?"

"Want to cheat?"

"What would you do?"

"Well there are wands right there, and the girls aren't around to stop us"

"That's cheating"

"I know that's why I asked if you wanted to _cheat_" Lily bit down on her knuckles, trying not to laugh. She, however, heard a giggle. Damn Hestia for not having self-control.

"They're in here!"

"Where?"

"Where did that giggle come from?"

"It was Hestia's giggle"

"Only you would know Pads"

"Well obviously that's _my _girlfriends giggle. You'd know if it was Lily"

"Touché"

"Hestia darling?"

"Yes, she's going to reply Pads"

"It was worth a shot"

"They're not that daft"

"They're chicks, what do you expect?" Lily narrowed her eyes at the cupboard door.

"I can feel them both trying to kill us with their eyes"

"Isn't it wonderful?"

"Oh yes, the best"

"What are we going to do when we find them? Just out of curiosity?"

"Well, I was going to snog them senseless"

"Would that really be a punishment?"

"By the wrong person"

"I don't know about you mate, but I don't want to watch one of my best mates snog my girlfriend"

"Yeah Pads you're so stupid. Do you want one of us snogging Hestia?"

"I was referring to Lily. I would be the one snogging Hestia, thank you very much"

"Then that wouldn't count as being part of the punishment. Can I just say that's a stupid punishment? Firstly, snogging is never a punishment, no matter whom you're snogging. The punishment is watching someone snog your girlfriend. And I don't want to be punished so no. And also one of us would be left out. It has to be a punishment that can count as a punishment"

"You know the girls are listening to all of this right?"

"Good. I'm being very chivalrous at the moment"

"Oh yes. Sir Prongs and his stupid horse"

"Why is there a horse?"

"Back on topic!"

"Right. Punishment. How about, we make them our slaves."

"Sexual slaves or regular slaves?"

"Whatever we want?"

"Excellent." Lily gulped as she thought of what they were going to make her and Hestia do. She heard a thud and had to control a squeak. The doors to the cupboard moved and Lily figured someone was leaning on the cupboard.

"What if we don't find them?"

"They'll have to show themselves sometime"

"Oh! New cheating idea that doesn't involve wands so it's not really cheating!"

"Go ahead Pads"

"What if we call Anna and Alan and order them to find the ladies?"

"That's actually a good idea"

"Anna! Alan!" There was a crack and Lily groaned, knowing they would be found out.

"Master called?"

"Anna, Alan, would you do us the huge favor of finding Lily and Hestia?"

"Why?"

"We cannot find them. Alan you look for Hestia, Anna you look for Lily"

"Master James they are in this room" Lily grinned and reminded herself to thank Anna later.

"We know that but we're playing hide and seek and we can't find them!"

"Master James if it is a game I can't possibly help you cheat"

"Anna!"

"Sorry Master James. Alan and I must go. Good luck Miss Lily and Miss Hestia!" she yelled and there was another crack

"Brilliant idea Pads" Lily heard a chuckle and groaned internally

"It came from over there!" She heard footsteps cross the floor and the cupboard door flew open with a bang

"Oh look who it is. Hello Hestia"

"I hate you all" Hestia said, and Lily heard the creak of bedsprings as she sat down on the bed.

"One down, one to go"

"Hestia, as you are our slave as of now, where is Lily?"

"That is information I cannot, and will not reveal"

"Slaves are useless nowadays"

"Doesn't mean you're free though"

"Damn it" Lily rolled her eyes fondly as she heard Hestia curse silently.

"Lily-flower!"

"Well if Hestia was in that cupboard, don't you think we should check this one?"

"That one's full of clothes though"

"So?" Lily held her breath

"I say we check just in case"

The cupboard doors flew open and Lily squinted against the sudden light. She looked down to see who had opened the door to see Sirius grinning slyly at her.

"Hello Lily-flower" he said in a deep voice, and Lily gulped. Sirius reached in and grabbed her hand, but Lily pulled it out of his grip, "Now is no time to be difficult slave" he said, and Lily rolled her eyes, "Oh for the love of Merlin" Sirius said, reaching in and picking Lily up. Lily shrieked as Sirius carried her out of her sanctuary of James smelling goodness and threw her onto the bed next to Hestia.

"I think we did pretty well," Hestia said to Lily and Lily laughed.

"They couldn't even find us when we were in the same room." The grinning girls looked up to see the boys smirking down at them dangerously. Lily stuck her tongue out at James who winked at her.

"So we have found our slaves, what do you want to do first?" Sirius asked, turning to look at Remus and James, "my vote's on sexual favors." Sirius winked at Hestia, who blushed and looked at Lily pleadingly. Just then, an owl flew in, dropping a letter in Lily's lap, before swiftly flying out.

"No letters allowed" James said. Lily rolled her eyes and ripped the letter open.

"Lily-flower you're being disobedient!" Sirius whined, but Lily wasn't listening.

"It's from Gwenog," she said, turning to Hestia, who leaned in closely so they could read it together.

_Lily! (And Hestia because I know she owled me that she'd come to stay there)_

_You will never believe it! So you know how I went for Quidditch tryouts this break? I made it! It's amazing! I made it onto an actually Quidditch team! Isn't that fantastic? Oh I'm going to explode with joy. And it's not even a stupid, unimportant team. I made it onto the Holyhead Harpies! The Harpies! It's intoxicating! Reply soon! Not today though, I'm busy choosing other players (teehee!) _

_Gwenog Jones (EEP!)_

Lily screamed and jumped up as Hestia did the same. The boys stood, dumbstruck, as the girls jumped up and down on Sirius' bed screaming.

"What happened?" Lily threw the letter at them and soon the boys were yelling happily.

"I danced with Gwenog Jones of the Holyhead Harpies!" Remus yelled happily.

"I was Gwenog Jones' Quidditch Captain" James said smugly. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I snogged Gwenog Jones of the Holyhead Harpies, hence, I win" Sirius smirked, "all the way back in third year" Everyone rolled their eyes.

"I need to go reply!" Lily squealed, grabbing the letter and making to leave the room with Hestia a step behind her, but suddenly the door was shut in front of her, "What?" she asked, turning around to see Remus with his wand.

"As happy I am about Gwenog. I do believe there is parchment, and quills in here. And as you are our slaves you are not wondering out of our sight," Remus shrugged, and Sirius and James snickered.

"I take back what I said about the manners earlier" Hestia mumbled, turning around and lying down on the bed

"Tut tut Hestia is that how you speak to your master? I haven't gotten you trained enough" Sirius said, lying down on top of her.

"I don't want to see that!" Lily exclaimed, shutting her eyes.

"I'll distract you," James said seriously, taking a step closer to Lily.

"No we have a deal," Lily winked, and James sighed. He had forgotten about the deal.

"Well as you're my slave I say deal's broken," James said proudly, but Lily rolled her eyes.

"I declare myself Remus' slave," she said, winking at Remus, who turned bright red.

"So you'd rather snog Moony than your own boyfriend?" James asked, insulted.

"Well my own boyfriend has to bear up to that deal before he can snog me," she shrugged, and sat down at James' desk, writing out a reply.

"Gwenog's letter says not to reply today," Sirius said, resurfacing from whatever he had been doing with Hestia, who walked over to Lily.

"I don't want to be his slave! He's going to snog me until lips are chapped," Hestia whined, sitting down next to Lily, and burying her face in Lily's shoulder. Lily chuckled.

"I like to have things done early," Lily said, and she heard all three boys snort.

"I say slave shouldn't write her letter now," Sirius said.

"I agree!" the other two said, and Lily turned to give her boyfriend the death glare.

"Now, Lily-flower slave. I have already snogged Hestia. I believe it's your turn," Sirius said, taking a step towards her. Lily looked to see James' glaring at Sirius as if he was going to kill him, which he probably would if Sirius dared snog Lily.

"Padfoot," Remus said in a warning tone, eyeing James

"Oh I wasn't going to do it get your knickers out of a knot," Sirius said, turning to stick his tongue out at James whose face broke into a relieved smile. There was a crack in the room and Lily looked to see Anna and smiled at her.

"Thank you for not ratting us out earlier Anna," Lily said, grinning at the elf, who laughed.

"Miss Lily should hide in better places next time," Anna said, "Master James' cupboard smells bad." Lily laughed, as James looked affronted.

"Mistress Potter says it's time for dinner," Anna said, looking over at them all.

"Anna what's for dinner?" Sirius asked.

"Anna doesn't know, you'll have to ask Alan, Master Sirius"

"Anna Banana I am offended. You knew I was here and didn't find out what was for dinner?" Sirius said, mock offended. Anna rolled her eyes and turned to Lily and Hestia.

"Please bring the boys down for dinner. Master Sirius is giving Anna a headache," she said, and disapparated, grinning at Sirius.

"Sirius food!" Lily said, hitting her thighs as she would to a dog.

"Don't tempt me Lily-flower," Sirius said, winking at Lily, and Lily quickly removed her hands from her thighs, "FOOD!" he yelled, grabbing the closest person, Remus, and dragging them out of the room, "LET'S GO HESTIA SLAVE!"

"My boyfriend, ladies and gentlemen," Hestia said, rolling her eyes. She walked out of the room before Sirius could yell anymore, leaving Lily and James alone. Suddenly, Lily found herself back up against the wall.

"I stand by what I said earlier!" Lily squealed.

"Yes I know you do. Prepare yourself, Lily Evans, for romanticness you will never find in anyone else," he winked, and dropped a small kiss on Lily's forehead. Lily rolled her eyes and walked to James' door.

"Surprise me," she winked, before heading out of the door.

The dinner table was crowded, seven out of the eight seats filled, and Lily found herself sitting next to Sirius, which was disgusting as Sirius ate like a dog, "Sirius manners" Emily said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Lily laughed and looked at James, who was sitting diagonally across from her. She was across from Remus and Hestia had wound up across from her boyfriend. A little ways through the meal, Sirius jumped, and looked over at his girlfriend, who was smirking. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust, trying not to imagine what Hestia was doing to Sirius.

There was a crack and Lily looked around to see Alan right next to her chair, "Is Miss Lily enjoying her dinner?"

"I am thank you very much," she said, smiling down at the elf, who smiled and disapparated.

"It's official, Alan is in love with you," Mr. Potter declared, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"He is not"

"He is! He keeps checking on you!"

"Are you jealous dear?" Emily asked, turning to look at her husband.

"Oh yes, I've always fancied Alan actually," he said sarcastically, and everyone snorted into their food. Once they had finished dinner, with a lot of bickering between Emily and Daniel, and Emily and Sirius, Alan cleared their plates. He winked at Lily before disapparating.

"I TOLD YOU!" Daniel said, standing up and pointing at Lily, who blushed.

"Wow Mr. P don't bust a vein or anything," Sirius grinned cheekily, and Daniel rolled his eyes, sitting down, ignoring the laughter. When they were about to get up, James cleared his throat.

"I want to say something," he said, looking at his parents, who nodded curiously. Lily felt her stomach turn as James turned to wink at her. James stood up and got up on the table.

"James!" Emily yelled, but Daniel hushed his wife, looking up at James.

"Lily," James said, turning to look down at Lily, who was turning an odd shade of maroon. She felt all eyes turn to her and then look back at James, "I wanted to tell you something," he said, and Lily felt her skin heat up even more, "but I think I'm going to tell it in a different way than you'd imagine," he said, pulling out his wand.

"Lily Evans," he said, pointing his wand at the ceiling. There was a bang and Lily looked up to see six doves fly out of his wand. They flew around the room and dropped, what looked like hearts, on everyone's plates, red on everyone else's, except for a white one on Lily's, before they exploded, which would have been extremely gruesome, had they not exploded in a gust of glitter. Lily looked down at her heart as it dissolved into the plate. Lily stared down in wonder as the heart shattered on her plate and formed many little hearts around it, and then as a hand started to write on her plate, leaving the words 'I love you'. Everyone else's plates read 'James loves Lily'. Lily felt tears in her eyes as she looked up at James, who was looking down at her. He reached his hand out to her and Lily took it, and James pulled her onto the table.

"I love you Lily."


	12. Slaving, Swimming, Spinning

**Hello beautiful people. I hope you like the story so far! I think I am in danger of falling in love with James and Sirius. I'm thinking of getting Remus a lady friend. It's upsetting me that he's not getting any snogging action because he's awesome. Also, if you think this story's getting to have too much snogging and fluffiness in it, don't hesitate to say so in your reviews. Speaking of, REVIEW PLEASE (: Have a great week!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.**

_**Previously:**_

"_Lily Evans," he said, pointing his wand at the ceiling. There was a bang and Lily looked up to see six doves fly out of his wand. They flew around the room and dropped, what looked like hearts, on everyone's plates, red on everyone else's, except for a white one on Lily's, before they exploded, which would have been extremely gruesome, had they not exploded in a gust of glitter. Lily looked down at her heart as it dissolved into the plate. Lily stared down in wonder as the heart shattered on her plate and formed many little hearts around it, and then as a hand started to write on her plate, leaving the words 'I love you'. Everyone else's plates read 'James loves Lily'. Lily felt tears in her eyes as she looked up at James, who was looking down at her. He reached his hand out to her and Lily took it, and James pulled her onto the table. _

"_I love you Lily."_

Lily looked up at James tearfully, and grinned up at him, feeling the all too familiar sensation of someone flipping pancakes in her stomach, using her stomach as the pancake. She loved hearing those words come out of James' mouth, in James' voice, with James' hazel eyes looking down at her as he said them. She should just record everything about this moment and play it over and over again. Maybe she should.

"Damn it James, now my way doesn't seem romantic," she sighed as James wrapped his arms around her waist, not caring that his parents and all of their friends were watching.

"I think you should say it back, they seem to be holding their breath," he whispered into her ear, and Lily felt a tremble roll through her as he did. She looked around subtly to see everyone looking up at her with beady, expectant eyes.

"I love you too James" she said, and she heard everyone erupt into squeals, laughs and cheers. James grinned down at her and she rolled her eyes, trying not to grin and failing miserably.

"Do I have permission to kiss you now?" he asked cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes but not right now," she said, and James drooped his head dejectedly, causing Lily to giggle.

"James that was beautiful," Emily sniffled, looking down at the plate. Daniel was looking up at his son proudly.

"Don't be such a baby, mum," James said, jumping off of the table and helping Lily down, not that she needed help, before turning to his mum.

"I'm not a baby," Emily sniffled again, and James rolled his eyes, turning to his father. Daniel grinned and walked around to pull James into a hug.

"Told you so," he winked, and James grinned at his father. Lily smiled at the Potters but suddenly found herself lying on the floor, having been knocked over by something.

"Lily Evans," Hestia huffed, sitting on Lily's back. Lily laughed and sat up to look at her best friend, not noticing how every eye on the room was on the two of them.

"Hestia Jones," Lily said, matching Hestia's tone.

"This is not a joking matter Lily Clare Evans," Lily looked up, bewildered. Hestia only used her middle name if it was a time of seriousness, "You did not tell me, your best friend in the entire world, that you love James Potter? How dare you!" Hestia said. Everyone was trying to hide their chuckles, failing miserably, "First I have to listen to you complain about the boy for six years, knowing everything that was _actually _going on inside your tomato red head, and then you go ahead and pronounce yourself in love with him before even telling me! How dare you!" Lily looked at James for help, but he was busy laughing. She turned to look at Emily, who was watching Hestia with an amused expression on her face, and threw her a pleading glance, only to receive a shrug in return.

"Well it's not your fault exactly. It's your stupid boyfriends for stealing you from me," Hestia said, sticking her tongue out at James, who raised his eyebrows, amused.

"Well then what am I supposed to do about it?" Lily asked, trying not to roll her eyes. How Hestia managed to make everything so melodramatic and blow things out of proportion was beyond her.

"I say your boyfriend has to make me a deal," Hestia said.

"Fine," Lily said, shrugging, and turning around to grin at James.

"James I-don't-know-your-middle-name Potter," she said, turning to face him. Lily snorted and Hestia turned to glare at her, "Here is my deal. You and your boyfriends are not allowed to use us as slaves in return for stealing my best friend." A grin broke out on Lily's face and she turned to look at Hestia, who winked at her. What would she do without her?

"That's uncalled for!" Sirius yelled, clambering over to stand next to James, looking pointedly at his girlfriend, "just because Prongs here steals your best friend doesn't mean you have permission to take away the fun of using girls as slaves," Sirius winked.

"Not appropriate, Sirius," Emily said, crossing her arms. Sirius looked over as if he'd forgotten Daniel and Emily were there and grinned cheekily, before turning back to Hestia.

"I think its fair," Lily said, stepping up beside Hestia and linking her arm through Hestia's.

"No I don't think so," Remus said, standing on James other side, crossing his arms.

"Why are they your slaves?" Daniel asked curiously.

"They lost a game," Remus shrugged, and Daniel nodded.

"Well, as man of this house, I say that the girls have to be your slaves, but can say no to things," he said, coughing in embarrassment.

"NO!" the three boys yelled, turning to face Daniel, who backed up and hid behind his wife.

"Well, as Daniel is not the man of the house, I am, I say that the girls will be your slaves the rest of today and tomorrow as today wouldn't be fair since it's close to over, and James can be Hestia's slave the day after," she said with finality.

"DEAL!" Sirius yelled, and James turned to look at his friend with his mouth open.

"Now that that's settled," Emily said, turning to Lily, "It's about bloody time!" she squealed, launching herself at Lily, who stumbled back as Emily hugged her.

"Mum!" James whined, looking embarrassed.

"And you too pumpkin! That was so cute!" she squealed, running over to hug James, who was turning redder by the moment.

"Emily, can we embarrass Lily and James later? I think they need a moment alone right now," Daniel said, looking at James, who was looking at Lily.

"Let's go," Hestia said, marching over to grab Remus and Sirius, dragging them out of the room.

"Nuh-uh Jones, you're our slave today," Sirius said, stopping. He picked Hestia up and threw her over his shoulder like a fireman and kept walking, with Hestia screaming. Remus chuckled and followed them out of the room. Emily and Daniel, with gooey looks at James, walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them. James was still looking at Lily, who was trying to look anywhere but at him.

"What?" Lily finally sighed, looking over at James, whose staring had been making her feel self-conscious. James took a step towards her and pulled her into a hug, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I recall gaining your permission," he said cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You are incorrigible."

"I've been told so," he said seriously, "Some irritating red head has reminded me almost every day since first year." Lily blushed and looked up into James' smiling eyes.

"Are you trying to guilt me into kissing you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes, and James laughed.

"Well it seemed to be working," he shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Well what if I still don't want to kiss you," Lily said cheekily, grinning up at James.

"Well if I recall correctly, you are my slave for today, so I say I'm allowed," he said quietly, leaning down further.

"Well I" but Lily didn't get any further as her mouth was suddenly busy. James pulled away and looked down at Lily with a smile.

"Am I still allowed?" James asked, and Lily rolled her eyes. She tried to take a step back from him but his arms wrapped tighter around her, not letting her go.

"Are you serious?" she groaned, and James grinned.

"No he's upstairs." Lily started to laugh, and James leaned down, dropping feather light kisses on her forehead.

"I think we should go before they wonder what we're doing in here," Lily said, and James winked down at her.

"I think we should give them something to wonder about," he said, picking Lily up and placing her on the table to help with their height difference. Lily giggled and wrapped her arms around James' middle, burying her face in his chest. She sighed in content, and James stroked her hair.

"Good night," she mumbled into James and felt him chuckle.

"Lily you can't sleep like this. I can't sleep standing up," he said

"Learn," Lily said cheekily, grinning up at James.

"Lily Clare Evans," he teased, and Lily groaned.

"I hate that name."

"Clare? Why? It's a great name," he said, and Lily sighed.

"The name Clare itself is great. I don't like it merged in with my name. It breaks the flow," she said, and James snickered.

"The flow Lily?"

"Yes the flow! How you say someone's name. Lily Evans. James Potter. Sirius Black, they sound right together," she said, and James raised his eyebrows.

"Why was Sirius' name in there?" he asked, and Lily winked, causing James to growl playfully. James leaned down to attack Lily's jaw and Lily laughed.

"Let's go," she said, standing up and pulling him towards the door.

"No! I want to stay here!" he whined, and plopped himself down on a dining chair, pouting. Lily laughed at his expression and walked over to him. He patted his lap and Lily rolled her eyes.

"That would look like I was straddling you James," she said, and James winked at her, causing her to blush. He laughed and stood up, walking over to her with a mischievous glint in his eye, "what?" she asked nervously, taking a few steps back. James continued to walk towards her, and Lily found herself backed up against a wall, "Again!" she whined, and James laughed.

"Right where I want you." Lily stuck her tongue out at him and scooted out from where he had her pressed against a wall, "Lily Evans you are not allowed to escape," he said, and Lily grinned cheekily at him, before opening the door and running out. James shook his head, chuckling, and started to run after her. Lily ran up the stairs quickly and ran into James' room, to see the other three sitting on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. Lily shook her head and sat down in between Remus and Sirius.

"Hide me," she whispered to Remus, who laughed. James walked into the room and his eyes narrowed in on Lily, a smirk playing across his face. Sirius looked at Lily and smirked.

"Good luck Lily-flower," he said, and stood up. Remus stood up also and Lily whimpered, they were going to let James torture her.

"Hest!" she squealed, and Hestia stood up, laughing, "That's not fair!" she squealed, and Hestia laughed.

"You left me out of the whole love loop thing. I think I'm going to go settle into your room, unpack and stuff," she shrugged and walked out of the room, Sirius and Remus following her. Sirius turned around to wink at Lily, before closing the door behind him.

"You're not going to win Lils," James growled, and Lily jumped up. James walked towards her and she jumped onto Sirius' bed, trying to get away from him. James tried to grab her but she jumped off the other side and ran to James' bed. James grinned and Lily looked around, she was cornered. James walked towards her and Lily squealed. She lay down on the bed, getting under the covers, hiding herself, "Lily, you really think getting under the covers is going to help right now?" he asked, and Lily kept quiet. Maybe if she were quiet he would forget she was in there. She suddenly felt a weight on top of her and squealed as she realized James was lying on top of her. The covers were pushed aside from her face, and Lily found herself nose to nose with James. James grinned and kissed Lily's jaw. He continued until he reached Lily's ear. Lily felt James' teeth graze her ear and she bit her lip, not wanting to let out any embarrassing noises. A crack sounded outside the door, but James didn't hear it.

"James," she managed to squeak.

"Mmm"

"James," she said again. James had moved down to her neck, "Please stop," she managed to breath as he moved down to her collarbone.

"Why?" he said into her neck.

"Someone's outside," she whispered, and James groaned, pushing himself off of her. He stood up and grabbed his wand. He pointed it at Lily, who froze.

"_Petrificus Totalus" _he muttered, and Lily froze. He grinned cheekily at her and went to answer the door, to find Anna standing outside, "Hi Anna!" he said cheerfully. Anna looked up at James' hair, which was messier than usual, thanks to Lily, and then to Lily, who was lying frozen on the bed, and blushed.

"Anna didn't mean to disturb. Anna was wondering what Master James wanted to do with the plates," she said, and James frowned.

"Ask mum, I really don't know," Anna nodded and blushed again before disappearing. James shut the door and went back to Lily, who was glaring at him, frozen, "I like you frozen," he said, grinning at Lily. He was pretty sure she was trying to kill him with her eyes. Oh well. He flicked his wand and Lily unfroze.

"How dare you!" she said, trying to sit up, but she found herself unable to as James was on top of her again.

"Aw Lils don't be too mad. I was just making sure you wouldn't escape," he winked, and despite herself, Lily felt a blush rise up under her skin, "I knew you wouldn't be mad," he said, lowering himself, but Lily rolled out from under him. She landed with a 'thump' on the floor, on her bum, and looked up at James.

"I am angry at you," she said, standing up and brushing herself off. James stood up, grinning, and blocked the door to his room so Lily couldn't escape, "Potter if you don't move I will hex you into oblivion," she said dangerously, and James grinned at her.

"Nice to have you back Evans," he winked, and Lily rolled her eyes. He moved out of the way and opened the door for her, "You're our slave the whole of tomorrow anyway, I have another day to use you," he winked, and Lily blushed crimson. She grabbed her wand off of James' dresser and walked out of the room. They walked into Lily's room to see Sirius and Remus looking fearfully at something in their hands, while Hestia was laughing.

"What?" Lily asked, a smile spreading across her face as she looked at Remus and Sirius.

"They're holding a box of my stuff," Hestia choked out through her laughter. Lily, curious, walked over to see what they were holding. It was a box of tampons. Lily burst into laughter and walked over to sit on the bed.

"What is that?" James asked, walking over. He took a look at it and Lily watched as the blood drained from his face, making her laugh harder.

"Payback for making us their slaves," Hestia winked at Lily, who grinned and hi-fived her best friend. The rest of the evening passed with the boys trying to get their revenge on the girls, but not getting them back as well as the girls had gotten them.

The next morning, Lily and Hestia woke up to the sound of fireworks and horns. They sat up quickly, disheveled, looking around for the source of the noise. Lily's hair was on top of her head in a mess, and Hestia's hair was curling and sticking out in the wrong places. Lily rubbed her eyes and opened them to see the boys standing at the foot of the bed. Remus had his wand out; obviously he had been the source of the noise. Lily lay back down and covered her face with the pillow, going back to sleep, while Hestia pulled the covers over her head.

"No you don't," Lily felt gentle hands remove the pillow from her face, and she looked up to see James sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her pillow. Lily narrowed her eyes at him, and turned onto her stomach, hiding her face. Sirius was pulling the covers from Hestia's face.

"I'm sleeping, go away" Lily whined into the mattress. She heard James sigh and felt a weight leave the edge of her bed. Satisfied by her victory, she turned onto her side and looked over to see Sirius standing up as well. Lily closed her eyes.

"_Accio!" _she heard someone yell, and the blanket flew off the bed. The girls screamed and sat up, glaring at Remus. The three boys were looking at the girls with satisfied expressions, and Lily looked down to see herself in her tiny pajama shorts and a spaghetti top, which had ridden up so her stomach was exposed. Hestia was in a similar position; her shorts had ridden up so much they looked like underwear. Lily screamed and pulled her top down, while Hestia pulled her shorts down, both of their faces red.

"Can we go back to sleep," Hestia mumbled, rubbing at her eyes.

"No. Today you are our slaves and we're going to make the most of it," Sirius shrugged, and she heard Hestia groan. Lily flopped back down onto her back.

"Let's go!" James said, grabbing Lily's hand and pulling her off the bed, causing Lily to fall on her bum.

"James Potter, so help me Merlin I will dump your sorry bum," she squealed, getting up and rubbing her backside. James rolled his eyes, and pulled her to her feet quickly.

"But you love me," he said cheerfully, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"We'll see."

"You girls are a mess," Remus said, looking Lily and Hestia up and down.

"You woke us up with loud noises. What do you expect?" Hestia grumbled as Sirius pulled her off the bed.

"Slaves let's go," Remus said, ignoring Hestia.

"I take back all the positive things I've ever said about him," Hestia grumbled into Lily's ear. Lily nodded vigorously, glaring at Remus, who smiled at her innocently. The boys started to push them out the door but Hestia and Lily stopped, turning around, "We can't go down like this!" Hestia squealed, gesturing their tiny pajamas. The boys grinned at each other and, ignoring their protests, levitated them down the stairs. The boys led them into the dining room, where Emily and Daniel were already seated. Daniel choked as he saw what Lily and Hestia were wearing, and Emily narrowed her eyes at her husband.

"What are you boys doing?" she asked, watching as they placed Lily and Hestia in their seats. This time, however, Lily ended up next to Hestia, both of them across from their boyfriends. Remus was sitting in James' normal seat as James and Sirius were enjoying seeing their girlfriends so disheveled. Translation, they liked the fact that their girlfriends were wearing barely anything.

"They're out slaves today," James shrugged, and he saw his mother's eyes narrow. She turned to Lily and Hestia and sighed.

"I would help you, I really would, but I kind of want to live to see how Hestia treats James tomorrow," she winked, and the girls grinned, looking at James, who looked frightened for a second before looking back at Lily and winking. Lily flushed and pulled her spaghetti up from the front, "Next time however, I suggest you let them change. Your father is having too much fun looking at them," Emily said, looking at Daniel, who choked.

"Oh yes control me from doing something to those teenage girls," he said sarcastically, and Lily laughed, as did Hestia. James and Sirius, however, were now looking at what Hestia and Lily were wearing worriedly. Lily rolled her eyes at their protective instincts. There was a crack and Alan appeared next to her holding her breakfast. He froze as he took in what she was wearing and quickly put the food down before disapparating. Lily looked around at James whose jaw was clenched.

"I think you just made Alan's day Lily," Daniel said, winking at Lily, who blushed. James turned to glare at his father, who, noticing James expression, looked back down at his food. Lily sighed and started to eat her breakfast, listening as conversation flowed.

She realized she hadn't stretched yet, so she stretched her legs out in front of her. She felt something in front of her and rested her feet on it. She realized it was James' chair. She grinned as she had an idea. She scooted her chair forward and leaned her leg out, so she could feel the cushion part on the seat of the chair. She moved her foot around a little bit so that it was right next to James' knee. James hadn't noticed anything. She inched her foot forward a little bit so it was further up James' thigh, and she brushed her toes against his leg. She bit her lip as James jumped in his chair, spilling pumpkin juice. Emily looked over at him and rolled her eyes, before continuing the conversation; something about Auror training with Remus. Sirius was eating his food with gusto, as usual, and Hestia was listening to Emily and Remus, while Daniel was watching Sirius in disgust. James looked down into his lap and Lily saw his eyes widen as he saw her foot. James looked up at her and Lily winked, seeing his Adams apple bob a little. She moved her foot further up along his leg, and she saw James's hand curl into a fist on top of the table, as he bit his lip. She slid her foot up further and she saw James close his eyes as he bit his lip. She wiggled her toes and James' bite down on his lip harder. She tried to push her foot up further, enjoying herself, but suddenly James' hand was holding her foot, not letting her go any further. Lily grinned at James, who was narrowing his eyes at her, gripping her foot.

"Lily?"

"Yes?" she said, turning towards Daniel, who was looking at her questioningly.

"I asked you a question," he chuckled.

"I'm sorry! Can you repeat?" she asked, and he laughed.

"I asked if you would like to go for a swim today, we have a pool," he said, and Lily turned to Hestia, who nodded enthusiastically.

"That would be great!" she said happily, and Daniel laughed.

"So it's settled, you can all go swimming later," he said. Lily and Hestia grinned until they turned to look at James, Sirius and Remus, who were watching them mysteriously.

"Oh no," Hestia whimpered, and Lily groaned. She yanked her foot away from James, who winked at her, and she looked down.

"Are you girls done?" Remus asked. Lily and Hestia nodded, and Remus stood up, grinning, "good," he said, pointing his wand at them. The girls screamed as they were lifted into the air. They were led out of the dining room, where a laughing Emily and Daniel waved to them. Lily heard Sirius' bark a laugh.

"Nice one Evans," he winked, and Lily blushed, grinning at James, who looked like he was going to get his revenge later, which he probably would. Lily groaned as she thought about what kind of revenge he was going to get from her. She saw Sirius whisper to Remus what she had done, and as Remus laughed and winked at her. They floated up the stairs, and Hestia turned to Lily.

"What did you do?"

"What you did to Sirius," Lily shrugged, and Hestia laughed.

"How did you know?"

"Pretty obvious judging by what was going on with you two," Lily shuddered, and Hestia grinned at her.

"You know, I could get used to this, not walking anywhere," Hestia whispered, and Lily laughed and nodded as they floated to their room. They were dropped on their bums on the floor, and Lily stood up, rubbing her behind again. She was going to have a bruise by the time this was over.

"Get ready girls," Remus said.

"For what?"

"Swimming." Lily caught James' eye and he winked at her mischievously as the boys walked out of the room, shutting it.

"How do we know they aren't watching us?" Hestia whispered, looking around the room. Lily pulled out her wand and pointed it at all the walls, making it so that nobody could look in. Hestia grinned, "good girl Lily." They changed and Lily groaned.

"I can't believe I brought a bikini," she groaned, looking at her red bikini, and turned to Hestia, who was also in a bikini, but hers was orange.

"We're going to die," Hestia nodded, looking down at her bathing suit.

"That, or be left with no innocence," Lily groaned, and pulled a white cotton sundress over her bathing suit as Hestia pulled on a similar dress. There was a bang as the door opened and the girls screamed as Sirius, James and Remus walked in, "What if we were still changing!" she screamed, and Sirius shrugged.

"Too bad we missed it," he sighed, and Lily rolled her eyes. She looked at the boys to see that they were all wearing board shorts and large shirts, which they were obviously going to take off, "Ladies," Sirius said, gesturing to the doorway. The girls sighed, grabbed towels, and walked out together. Lily tied up her hair as they walked down the stairs.

"Um, James where's the pool?" Hestia asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. James chuckled and walked by them with Remus and Sirius, grazing Lily's waist with his fingers as he walked by, making Lily shudder. They followed James as he walked out of the back door, in the same direction as the maze. James turned down a path to the right and they followed him, Lily becoming increasingly more aware that she was not wearing shoes. Neither was Hestia, and the rocks were starting to poke their feet. They turned down a crossroad to the right and Lily saw a giant pool, "Oh wow," Hestia said, coming to a stop.

"Couldn't agree more," Lily said back. As they watched, the three boys stripped off their shirts. Lily gulped as she noticed they all looked great without shirts on, "I think I'm going to have an aneurism," she muttered, and she heard Hestia whimper next to her.

"We're not going to survive around those bodies Lily," Hestia said.

"It was nice knowing you Hestia," Lily said and the Hestia grinned.

"Likewise." As they watched, the three boys jumped into the pool, "They're going to look even better now," muttered Hestia, and Lily groaned. The three boy's heads popped up and they turned towards the girls.

"Chop chop," Sirius yelled, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"We should take our dresses off simultaneously and see what they do," Hestia muttered and Lily laughed and nodded. The girls set their towels down on the table, aware of the boys' eyes on them, and pulled their dresses off over their heads. The boys were watching them and Lily turned to raise her eyebrows at them, and they quickly turned away. Lily and Hestia grinned at each other. Lily saw Remus and Sirius get out of the pool and head towards them. Suddenly, they broke into a run and Lily screamed as Sirius picked her up, and jumped in the pool. Lily broke through the cold water and gasped.

"I am going to kill you Black!" she screamed, and Sirius laughed. Hestia was yelling similar things at Remus, who was laughing as well.

"Lily!" Hestia screamed, and Lily laughed, "We're going over there, let's go Lily," she said snottily, and Lily giggled, letting Hestia pull her to the other side of the pool. She was about to take another step when something rose up in front of her. James leaned down and kissed her, and Lily felt her knees weaken. Drat him for having so much power over her, "James Potter stop snogging my best friend," Hestia yelled, pushing James away from Lily, and pulling Lily along with her. Lily laughed as James fell over and allowed Hestia to drag her.

"Hest where are we going?"

"I don't know. I want to go explore, let's walk around," Hestia said, and Lily nodded. Lily untied her hair in the pool, and dunked her head, letting her hair get wet, before getting out, her hair dripping down her back. She pulled it over one shoulder and squeezed the water out of it.

"Where are you going?" she heard a voice say, standing too close, and screamed. She turned around to see an amused Remus standing just behind her.

"Exploring," she grinned, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Like that?" he said, gesturing to the bikini.

"Is there something wrong with the bikini?" She watched, amused, as the tips of Remus' ears turned pink. She grinned before spinning around, her hair attacking Remus in the face, and following Hestia, who had already turned the corner. She found Hestia waiting for her. They walked around the large garden, following the various paths, until they found themselves back at the pool. Sirius, James and Remus were sitting on the edge of the pool, talking. The girls walked in and Lily saw all three boys' heads snap up.

"James is there a slide or something here?" Hestia asked, looking around. Lily rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand, conjuring up a twisting slide, "I LOVE YOU!" Hestia squealed, pulling a laughing Lily towards the slide, "You first," Hestia said, gesturing to the slide, and Lily rolled her eyes. She climbed up to the entrance of the slide and slid down, screaming as it twisted and turned. The slide had a slight jump at the end and Lily felt herself thrown up in the air before being tossed in the water. She was laughing as she got to the surface and swum towards the boys, who were only a little ways away.

"Hi," she said cheerfully, pulling herself up to sit next to James.

"Where did you guys go?" he asked, watching as Lily pulled her hair over her shoulder, wringing it out.

"Exploring," she grinned, and James rolled his eyes. When Hestia came out of the end of the slide, Sirius pointed his wand at her, and she flew over and landed in the water next to him.

"I'll see you later," Remus said, getting out of the pool suddenly.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked, and Remus shook his head, but Lily didn't miss the wink Remus gave James as he left.

"Sirius Black," she said, resurfacing. Sirius grinned and took a step towards her, "Oh no you don't," she said, ducking underneath the water. Sirius laughed and went under the water, and Lily rolled her eyes, leaning on James' shoulder. James put his arm around her shoulder and Lily trembled as his hand touched her bare skin. James, noticing, started tracing patterns on Lily's back, and she trembled again, and pushed herself in the water.

"It's time to go," Sirius said, climbing out of the pool. James followed him out but Lily and Hestia stayed in the pool.

"Why?" Lily asked, looking at Sirius.

"It's easier to use you as slaves if we're not in the pool," James said, answering for Sirius, and Lily and Hestia rolled their eyes simultaneously. James sighed and pointed his wand at the girls, who were suddenly sitting on the tiles outside the pool.

"Fine," Lily grumbled, getting up. She stumbled and fell into James, who caught her. She grabbed her wand and dried her body off, but used the towel in her hair; she liked drying her hair manually, there was something relaxing in it. She reached for her sundress but hers and Hestia's had vanished, "Where's my dress?" she said, looking under the table, and then at the boys, who were holding them. She narrowed her eyes at them, and they shrugged.

"I don't like the dresses to be honest, the bikini's are better," Sirius winked, and Lily rolled her eyes. They ended up walking back to the house in their bikinis with James and Sirius following them. They made it to the house and when the girls took a step in the house, they ran back out, running into James and Sirius respectively.

"I'm not going in there," Lily said, shaking her head, "It's cold." James looked down at Lily, who was shivering in her bikini, and wrapped his towel around her, and she felt warmer.

"Better?" he asked sweetly, and Lily nodded. James pulled her hair out from inside the towel as they made their way into the house. Lily shivered and James put his arm around her, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

Lily finished showering and came out, wrapped in a towel, to find Hestia still sitting in her bikini, "Hest?" Hestia looked up at Lily, angry.

"They stole our stuff," she said. Lily frowned, and Hestia gestured to the cupboard where they had put their clothes. Lily walked over to find it empty. She sent a thank you to Merlin, as she had decided to leave her knickers in her trunk.

"Where's my trunk?" she asked, looking around. Hestia grimaced and Lily gasped, "my knickers and bras were in there! I can't go in the boys room like this!" she said, gesturing to the towel. Hestia frowned and looked up at Lily.

"Can't you just conjure them up?" Hestia asked, and Lily rolled her eyes. _Obviously. _She waved her wand to conjure them up, but wasn't able to, "looks like they put a charm on here so you cant do that," Hestia said and Lily stomped her foot.

"This is ridiculous!" she yelled. She looked around the room for an extra pair of underwear or something, and grinned. She had left some in the drawer when she had tried unpacking. She pulled the drawer open and grinned as she saw a few pairs of underwear and a few bras. She pulled it on and then wrapped her towel back around her, feeling significantly better.

"I was waiting for you. I didn't want to scream by myself," Hestia grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. She tied her hair up in a bun and walked out of the door, her wand shoved in the waistband of her underwear. They threw the door to the boys' room open to see them sitting around, fully dressed. They turned and Lily felt a blush creep as James looked at her in the towel. She ignored their stares, mostly at the towel, and crossed her arms.

"Where is my stuff," she asked.

"Lily-flower, are you naked under that towel?" Sirius asked, wagging his brows, earning himself a slap on the leg from James. Sirius turned to look at James, "That hurt," he said bluntly, and James grinned at him.

"Maybe," Lily said, and she saw their eyebrows shoot up. She'd chosen a strapless bra just in case, "Where is all my stuff?"

"Sorry Lily-flower. The masters have decided that the slaves are not allowed to be adequately dressed today."

"Sirius Black," Hestia said, crossing her arms, "I am not going to sit around the mansion in my bikini all day." Sirius winked at her and Hestia blushed, but held her ground.

"Here's our compromise. You can wear something, but we have to choose what it is," James shrugged, and the girls groaned.

"How did we get stuck with such incorrigible, perverse, bloody boys?" Lily grumbled, turning to Hestia.

"I don't know. Did we do something to deserve this?"

"I think our choice to willingly talk, not to mention date, these boys is coming back to bite us in the bum," Lily said.

"I couldn't agree more Lily. Maybe we should ditch their sorry bums?" Hestia said with a wink at Sirius.

"I think that would be the right idea. We could just walk out of the gate right now and apparate back to Hogwarts"

"Not a bad idea Lils."

"Fine!" Sirius said, looking at Hestia, "We will make sure you are dressed enough so you're decently covered up." He stood up and walked over to Hestia, wrapping his arms around her waist, "wouldn't want you getting cold." Hestia blushed and grinned up at Sirius.

"Sirius Black, are you attempting to be a charming gentleman?"

"Why is attempting in there?" he asked cheekily, and Hestia giggled. Lily smiled at them and then turned back to see her own boyfriend smiling up at her.

"No I am definitely not talking to you," she said, shaking her head. James pouted and Remus laughed at James' expression.

"Will you talk to me?" Sirius said, getting down on his knees in front of Lily. Lily took a step back, knowing that at the height Sirius was at, he would be able to see up her towel. Sirius seemed to be thinking similar thoughts and he smirked at her, "Now why do you keep ruining my fun Lily-flower?" James stood up and tackled his best friend, and Remus stood up, shaking his head. He pointed his wand at James and Sirius, who ended up dangling by their ankles in midair. Lily and Hestia laughed. Lily walked up to James, who's head was at the same level as hers, only upside down.

Suddenly, Lily found herself dangling upside down as well. She screamed and held the towel to make sure it wouldn't expose her, "Lily-flower's wearing kickers!" Sirius declared, and James reached over to slap Sirius in the arm, "Prongs mate, if you keep bruising me we can't be friends anymore," Sirius said, sticking his tongue out at James.

"Remus can you please put me down," Lily begged and Remus sighed. Lily crumpled onto the floor and sighed.

"That's not fair I'm a girl too!" Hestia squealed. Hestia crumpled on the floor and she smirked up at her boyfriend.

"No worries Hestia love, I can see straight down your bikini from here," Sirius winked, and Hestia screamed, and hid behind Lily, "Likewise Lily-flower". Lily blushed and stood up.

"Remus I need clothes!" she whined, turning to Remus.

"Me too!" Hestia yelled, standing up. Sirius' hand reached out and pulled on Hestia's ponytail and she squealed, grabbing her hair.

"I guess that would be the right thing to do," Remus sighed, and pointed his wand at them, "there." Lily looked down to find herself in a fitting white top and a short denim skirt. She shrugged, it could have been worse. She looked over to see Hestia in a similar outfit the only difference being her top was black.

"Cute skirt," Hestia said, looking down at their skirts. Lily rolled her eyes; she had never been a fan of skirts. There was a thud as Sirius and James were dropped on the floor.

"Slaves!" Sirius squeaked as he stood up. His face was still bright red from all the blood that had been rushing into it. Lily laughed and he turned to narrow his eyes at her. James came up behind Lily, how he had got there without het noticing, she would never know, and wrapped his arms around her neck, resting his chin in her auburn hair.

"Yes master?" Lily asked innocently, and she saw Sirius smirk.

"Is that what you call Prongs?" he teased, and Lily flushed scarlet. Sirius chuckled and moved on, "Slaves! Moony has decided to leave tonight." Lily turned to look at Remus.

"Why?" she asked sadly. She liked having Remus around. It made things easier.

"I think I'm going to go home and spend Christmas with my parents," he said, smiling at Lily, "It's in two days you know." Lily's eyes widened.

"It's the 23rd?"

"Yay! Lily-flower can count!" Sirius yelled, jumping up and down and counting. Lily rolled her eyes at him, "good to know that Arithmancy has come to use," Sirius winked, and Lily rolled her eyes again, "You know Lily-flower, you might get dizzy rolling your eyes so much." Lily laughed, and she felt James chuckle. Hestia rolled her eyes and walked over to Sirius, wrapping her arms around his stomach.

"Why the sudden love?" Sirius joked, putting his arm around Hestia's shoulder and kissing her forehead.

"It's known to happen," Hestia shrugged, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"So you're leaving tonight Remus?" Lily asked, turning to him, and he nodded.

"It'll be nice to see my parents again. They feel like what's…wrong with me is their fault," he said, and looked down at the floor. Lily felt saddened by his crushed expression.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with you Remus," Hestia winked, and Remus laughed.

"I bet I'm a right sight better than those twats you call boyfriends," he said, winking at Lily who giggled at James and Sirius' protests.

"I bet Lily-flower liked dating you better than she likes dating Prongs," Sirius said, winking at James. Lily felt him stiffen and looked at Sirius with wide eyes, only to see her stupefied expression replayed on his face. Remus looked afraid as he watched James.

"What?" Lily flinched as James' grip tightened on her, and she looked at Remus, who looked at her. Lily threw him a reassuring glance before removing James' arms from around her neck, with difficulty, and turned to face him.

"Remus and I sort of had a thing back in fifth year," she mumbled. Remus looked up at James and then moved to hide behind Lily incase James decided to do something. Sirius and Hestia were frozen, watching the scene play out in front of them. Lily waited as several emotions played through James' eyes; pain, anger, confusion, betrayal, anger, pain. James looked up at Remus and Lily felt chilled at the expression on his face.

"While you knew I" he said but Lily cut him off.

"He broke it off a couple days after it started because of you," she said quietly, looking up at James. James looked down into her eyes, and realized she was telling the truth.

"You broke it off with Lily because of me?" he asked softly, looking at Remus, who nodded vigorously, "why didn't you tell me about it?"

"Because you'd get angry mate," Sirius said, letting go of Hestia and walking up to James, clapping him on the shoulder, "now get over it please? It happened two years ago and as we know Lily-flower is in love with you now," Sirius said, winking at Lily, who blushed. Hestia laughed, and walked over to hug James, "OI!" Sirius yelled.

"Oh shut up Sirius. You hug Lily all the time," Hestia said, tapping Sirius' nose. Lily and Remus laughed, and Remus took a deep breath before walking over to James cautiously.

"Why do you look like I'm going to _Avada-Kedavra _you?" James asked, grinning at Remus, who sighed in relief.

"Well to be honest mate I thought you would," Remus shrugged. James laughed and pulled his friend into a hug.

"As long as you don't do anything I will let you live," he said, and Remus sighed dramatically.

"Fine take my life long goal away," he said sarcastically, and Lily snorted.

"Pretty sad goal. You're starting to sound like James." James looked affronted as everyone laughed, and Lily smiled at him cheekily. He growled at Lily and she felt her spine tingle, "I'm frightened James," she assured him sarcastically, and everyone laughed once again.

"You better be," he winked, and Lily turned red.

"Leave her alone," Hestia said, smacking at James' chest, before heading over to Lily.

"You're the only one who loves me Hest," Lily sniffled and Hestia laughed.

"That's not true! My fair maiden I would do anything for you!" Sirius said, walking over to Lily and holding her shoulders. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Wrong maiden Sirius."

"No I caught the right one," he said, winking over at Hestia, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes okay Sirius you love me I get it," Lily said.

"Do you love me?" Sirius asked cheekily.

"Yes Sirius I love you," she said and Sirius squealed happily, pulling her up into a bone-crushing hug, "Can't breathe Sirius!" she choked out.

"Sorry love," he said, putting her down, and Lily rubbed her rib cage.

"S'fine. No-one needs air anyway," Lily said, rolling her eyes, and Sirius grinned.

"That's the spirit!"

"Remus, when do you leave?" Lily asked, turning away from Sirius while everyone laughed.

"Well judging by the time right now I'd say in a couple hours," he shrugged. Sirius pouted and walked over to Remus.

"Don't leave me with Prongs!"

"Sorry mate, you'll have to push through it," Remus said, clapping Sirius on the shoulder

"I wont be pushing through Prongs," Sirius said, turning around to wink at Hestia. Lily felt her mind burn with the images he'd implanted in there.

"Yeah, not me either," Hestia said. Sirius turned to look at Lily but James smacked him on the back of the head.

"Never going to happen mate," James said, patting Sirius on the back. Sirius pouted.

"LET'S PLAY A GAME!" Sirius yelled, and Lily jumped at the sudden change in volume.

"What game?" Remus asked, massaging his ears as if Sirius' volume had physically hurt.

"SPIN THE BOTTLE!" Sirius yelled, and Remus groaned, "It's an amazing game. That's it we're playing spin the bottle!" Sirius declared, "You have to snog whoever it points to," Sirius said, sitting down on the floor.

"What if it points to someone of your own gender?" Hestia said, sitting down next to Lily, who was next to Sirius.

"I am going to charm the bottle as I don't really fancy snogging one of my mates," he shrugged. James sat down across from Lily and Remus next to him, forming a circle. Sirius conjured a bottle and charmed it, laying it down in the middle of the circle, "One more rule. James and I are not allowed to hurt one another for snogging their girlfriends. Agreed?" James and Remus nodded and Lily turned to Hestia, who winked at her. They were covered, "Good. Who's going first?" They looked around at each other and Remus sighed.

"I'll go," he said. He spun the bottle and it landed at Hestia. He looked warily at Sirius who nodded. He leaned forward and kissed Hestia before sitting back down, ignoring James's cheering.

Hestia spun the bottle and it landed on James. Lily felt her stomach lurch. Hestia looked around at Lily who smiled slightly, before leaning forward.

"Sorry!" she squealed and kissed James, before sitting back down. Lily felt her stomach curl and the intense need to pull out her wand and hurt Hestia, "great kisser you've got there," Hestia whispered to Lily, who laughed, instantly feeling better. This was Hestia. She needed to pull herself together.

James spun the bottle and it landed on Lily.

"There's really no fun in this game," Lily said, "It's always going to be either me or Hestia." The boys shrugged and the girls rolled their eyes. James leaned forward and kissed Lily, more passionate than the other kisses had been. James sat back down and winked at Lily, who rolled her eyes.

Lily reached down and spun the bottle. She watched it spin until it stopped across from her, pointing to Remus.

"Well that's fine you've done it before," James said nonchalantly, but Lily could hear the pain in his voice.

"Actually no," Lily said quietly, and she saw James brighten, "Sorry Remus," she said, and Remus laughed. She leaned forwards and kissed Remus. His lips weren't as soft as James' and Lily realized everything was too different. She sat back down and smiled at Remus, who grinned at her.

Remus spun the bottle and it landed on Hestia, again. Lily saw Sirius groan and she shot him a sympathetic look, knowing what it felt like to see someone else kiss your girlfriend. Remus leaned forwards and kissed Hestia again, and sat back down.

"Lily-flower's right, this could get really frustrating," Sirius grumbled, and Hestia grinned at him.

"Only because no ones kissed you yet," she winked, and Sirius grinned at her.

"How did you know?" he winked, and Lily laughed.

Hestia, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend, spun the bottle, and it landed on Sirius, "YAY!" he said happily and Hestia laughed. She leaned forward and kissed him, and Lily watched as he responded with so much enthusiasm that Lily blushed. They broke apart and Sirius grinned at Hestia before turning back to the bottle.

He spun it and it landed on Lily, "Finally," he said, rolling his eyes, and Lily laughed.

"The universe is trying to keep us apart Sirius," she said dramatically

"Ah fair maiden, nothing can stop this knight in shining armor," he winked. Lily laughed and Sirius leaned forward.

"Watch it," she heard James say. Sirius kissed her and she realized his kiss was a lot more like James than Remus' had been. He put his hand on the back of her neck, kissed her harder, before backing up and sitting down. James was glaring at Sirius who shrugged.

"If you're going to snog you have to do it properly," he said cheekily, and James rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching, "we're done with this game," he said, pointing his wand at the bottle and it vanished.

"So now that it's significantly awkward considering we've all snogged each other, I just want to point out that we're not making such good use out of the slaves," he said, looking at Remus and James.

"Too right you are, I say we do something about it," Remus said, "how about we make the slaves plan out our next prank. We could use Lily's extreme charms skills and Hestia's creative skills." James and Sirius raised their eyebrows, looking at their girlfriends.

"That's actually a great idea," Sirius said, eyeing the girls. Lily groaned. She didn't want to help them break school rules.

"It's settled then. Lily, Hestia, go plan us a prank for when we return from Christmas break," James said, pointing at the door. Lily and Hestia grumbled out of the room, unsure of what they were going to do. After all, they had never pulled a Marauder sized prank before.

"What've you got?" Sirius said, walking into the girls room a while later. Lily looked up as the boys looked down at them. Lily looked at Hestia, who sighed.

"Do you want a demonstration or just an explanation?" Hestia asked.

"Demonstration please," Remus said, and the girls sighed. They got off the bed, tired, and stood at the foot of the bed.

"No feet on the bed," Lily said sternly to Sirius, who removed his feet from the bed quickly. The girls turned to each other and nodded. Lily shut the door of the room with a flick of her wand. Hestia waved her wand and it started. The lights went out and Lily heard Sirius whimper, and rolled her eyes. Lines of different colors, like muggle lasers, started to shine in random points of the room, forming a snowflake in the middle. The boys watched, entranced, as the snowflake lowered slowly towards them, and as it did, started to change colors. The boys felt tingling on their faces and then, as they watched, the snowflake exploded and the sounds of liquid splattering the walls could be heard. The light switched on to see crimson and gold goo splattering the walls and looked at each other to see they had all grown manes like lions. The boys guffawed and looked up at Hestia and Lily, who were looking at their manes, amused.

"AMAZING!" Sirius yelled, jumping up and pulling the girls into a hug. The two girls spluttered as his lion's mane got in their mouths.

"The manes keep growing," Lily said, leaning away from Sirius.

"How do they stop?" Remus asked.

"It's pretty simple actually. Just rub your nose and the manes vanish." She watched James rubbed his nose and the mane vanished, looking as if it had been sucked into his skull.

"Can you plan the rest of our pranks?" James asked, winking at Lily and Hestia, who rolled their eyes.

"I like not knowing the pranks," Lily said, sitting down on James' lap. There was a crack and Anna appeared in the room.

"Dinner is ready! Master Remus must eat before he leaves," she said, looking at Remus who smiled, "Master Sirius," she said, and Sirius turned around.

"BANANA!" he yelled.

"We are having chicken for dinner," she said, and Sirius grinned.

"Anna Banana you found out? For me?" Anna rolled her eyes with a fond smile at Sirius before disapparating, "I'm in love," he said happily, looking at the spot where Anna had just been. Lily saw Hestia roll her eyes.

"FOOD SIRIUS!" Lily yelled happily, and she saw Sirius grin.

"FOOD!" he screamed, clapping his hands. He grabbed Hestia and dragged her out of the room.

"I'm going to go save your best friends life," Remus said, winking at Lily, before following them out of the room.

"Why do they keep leaving us alone?" Lily asked, curiously, still sitting in James' lap.

"Because they're intimidated by how cool we are?" James asked, grinning into Lily's hair.

"Oh yes you've nailed it," she snorted, and James chuckled. He leaned his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around her middle. Lily tried to get up but James held her so she couldn't move, "For the love of Merlin," she sighed, trying to pull James's arms off of her, but James was too strong, "I hate you," she muttered, and James laughed. He moved Lily's hair so it fell over one of her shoulders, and Lily felt his nose skim the back of her neck, and she trembled, "Food James!" she said enthusiastically, and felt James laugh.

"Food!" he pretended to yell. Lily laughed and James picked her up, starting to walk down the stairs.

"James I am perfectly able to walk by myself," she said, slapping at his chest. James shook his head and slung her over his shoulder, and she started to scream, "James Potter put me down this instant!" she said, emphasizing the last word by slapping him on the back. She heard James hiss and laughed.

"James! What on earth are you doing?" Emily said, coming up behind James to see Lily slung over his shoulder.

"Carry Lily down the stairs," he shrugged. Lily felt his shoulder jab her in the stomach as he shrugged and groaned.

"I can see that, but why?"

"Just because," James said. Lily saw Emily roll her eyes. Daniel came up behind her and looked at Lily and James curiously.

"Lily you have a James on your stomach," he said, and Lily laughed.

"I know, it's disgusting isn't it?" she asked, and James dropped her a little, causing her to scream. They entered the dining room.

"Hi Prongs! Hi Lily's ass!" Sirius yelled, and Remus snorted. James put Lily down in her chair, and Lily felt the blood leave her head, spreading all around her body. During dinner, Lily played her new favorite game of footsy with James, watching him bite his lip harder and harder the more she moved up his leg. She was afraid he was going to draw blood. At one point, James moaned, but nobody except Sirius noticed, as they were too busy arguing. Sirius looked down into James' lap and smirked, winking up at Lily. Once dinner was over, Remus stood up to say his goodbyes to Emily and Daniel.

He walked to the front door, trunk, which he had summoned down, in hand, with the other four following him.

"Bye Remus," Lily said, smiling at Remus, and pulling him into a hug, "Merry Christmas," she said, and Remus grinned.

"You too," he smiled before turning to have his usual Marauders goodbyes with James and Sirius, "Bye Hest," he said, hugging Hestia. He gave one last wave and disapparated.

"Well I guess it's just the four of us," Sirius sighed, and Hestia groaned.

"I wish you had left," she mumbled, and Sirius looked affronted. James and Lily grinned at each other and walked back into the house quietly, not wanting to disturb the bickering couple.

"That really hurts Hest. I was going to tell you something," Sirius pouted. Hestia smiled and took both of Sirius' hands, playing with his fingers. Sirius took a step closer to her and rested his forehead on hers, looking down into her eyes, "You look really funny like this," he pointed out childishly, and Hestia laughed.

"You look sort of like a frog," she said, turning her head to the side, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"An attractive frog I hope," he said, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"That's debatable," Hestia said seriously, and Sirius narrowed his eyes at her.

"Hestia Jones," he said, and Hestia looked up into his eyes, grinning through her own, "I love you."

Hestia looked up at Sirius, bewildered, "You are impossible," she muttered, pulling him down for a kiss. Sirius wrapped one arm around her and put the other on her cheek, while Hestia had both of her hands in Sirius' hair. When they broke apart, gasping for air, Hestia looked up at Sirius, "And I love you too by the way."


	13. Presents

**Hey guys! Sorry if the ending of the last chapter was too much. I was really stressy because of my math exam. I hate math. I think it should grow up and solve its own problems. And before that it was bio and history. JUST SAYING, if anyone wants my email address or something then don't hesitate to ask. I'd love to meet all you people who read my story and make my day better. I love logging onto hotmail and seeing all these emails from fan-fiction about reviews, favorite stories, story alerts, favorite authors. I swear it makes my day, and I'm not just saying that. If you have any ideas, or requests for something to happen in the story, ASK. In the last chapter I ended up running out of ideas and sat in front of the laptop urging my brain to think, which is not possible at times. ANYWAY I'm blabbing. Enjoy (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this series, but I hope some day I own my own that people write fanfics about. **

_**Previously:**_

_Hestia looked up at Sirius, "And I love you too by the way." _

A fully dressed Hestia yelling at Lily was what Lily woke up to on the day of Christmas Eve. She groaned and turned to look at her watch. It was only 5 in the morning.

"Hestia, are you insane?" Lily whined, turning over to bury her face in her pillow.

"Today is the day I get back at your boyfriend. Shut up and get out of bed," Hestia said. Lily wouldn't move, so Hestia resorted to poking her best friend in the sides until she finally got irritated enough to sit up.

"I hate you Hestia," Lily grumbled, getting out of bed. She brushed her teeth and threw on shorts and a tank top. She followed a determined Hestia out of the room, yawning and tying up her hair. It was too early for anyone to function. Why people woke up at 5 in the morning was beyond her. The sun wasn't even up! Lily tucked her wand in the waistband of her underwear as she had no pockets and crashed into Hestia, who was standing outside the boys' room. Remus wasn't there so they weren't at risk of James and Sirius being awake already since Remus had had to wake them up yesterday.

Hestia turned to glare at Lily, before opening the door quietly. Sirius sat up quickly at the noise, reaching for his wand. He saw Hestia and Lily and groaned. Lily looked out of the window and saw that it was still slightly dark outside. She groaned. James was fast asleep, and Hestia was grinning devilishly at him, "Hest what are you going to do to him?" Lily asked worriedly. She didn't actually want James to be Hestia's slave for the day; Hestia was known to do nasty things to people.

"Hest do this later," Sirius said, getting out of bed. Lily saw that Sirius slept with a shirt on, unlike James, "It's really early." Sirius yawned, accentuating his point. Hestia groaned and rested her head on Sirius' chest. Sirius put his arms around Hestia's shoulders, "Lily-flower, I'm going go take Hestia to your room," he said, his eyelids drooping. He left with Hestia, and Lily found herself in James' room with James asleep. She looked over at James' cupboard where she had hidden, and she opened the door, inhaling James' scent. She saw his Quidditch jersey from their sixth year, and pulled it out. She looked around to make sure James was actually asleep, before pulling her tank top off. She pulled his jersey on quickly and inhaled her new favorite scent in the world. It was huge on her, the sleeves going down to her elbows, and it ended in the middle of her thighs, hiding her shorts. She hadn't realized James was so much bigger than her. She felt like a little girl when she wore the jersey. She grinned down and decided that James wasn't going to be getting the jersey back. She heard a groan and turned to see James rolling around in his sleep. She rolled her eyes and walked around his room. The desk was flooded with crumpled pieces of paper and she shook her head, not bothering to look at them. She opened the first drawer of his desk to see it full of quills and, to her surprise, muggle pens. The second drawer was full of Zonkos joke products. She chuckled quietly, shutting the drawer. The third one, predictably, was filled with Quidditch items; game plans, books, a broom cleaning set. She sighed, deciding to read the book later. She noticed another drawer on the other side of the desk and pulled it open slowly. She noticed it over flooded with letters. She pulled one out and saw a girly handwriting she didn't recognize. She looked at who the letters were signed by, and saw that they were from Alissa. Curiosity taking over her, she took the first one she could grab, and sat down on James desk chair and started to read.

_You need therapy big brother,_

_I don't see why you can't just talk to her. I'm 10 and even I know you need to get a move on. You've been in love with this girl for 4 years and you cant puck up the courage to tell her? It's pathetic. It's a shame to Gryffindors everywhere. I feel like I need a new big brother…Well it's no wonder she wont talk to you! You sound like you're being an absolute prat to get her attention. Yes I called you a prat. Mum and dad have gone for a raid or something, so I'm at home with Anna. No I'm not entering your room it smells bad. Anyway, enough about her; You'll get depressed and do something stupid to attract her attention tomorrow and then you'll regret it and cry to me again. Home's pretty boring. I wish I were 11 already. I can't wait to come to Hogwarts! I'm actually really excited. I'll be there in about 7 months. Great now I'm nervous. You better be nice to me when I get there. I'll be a first year, and you'll be a sixth year. Maybe I should go ask Sirius, he seems to like me better sometimes. I have to go, I took your tip and gave Anna some Butterbeer. Now she's going to teach me how to play poker. _

_Love you, Alissa_

Lily chuckled at the letter. Alissa sounded erratic, she reminded her a little of Hestia. Alissa seemed so excited to do everything. And the way she talked about Lily! Lily felt a smile creep up on her face as Alissa called James a prat. She had to remember to thank her. That was when Lily remembered Alissa was dead. She never got to go to Hogwarts. Lily felt her eyes well up with tears. It was so unfair! She had never hated Voldemort more than she did at that moment. How dare he hurt the Potter family! They were the sweetest people Lily had met. She read a few more of Alissa's letters, and they never failed to bring a smile to her face. When she had finished with all the letters, she looked out of the window to see that the sun had come up. She frowned, how long had she been reading? She walked over to James' dresser and looked at his watch. It was 7:30. She'd been reading for about two hours and twenty minutes. She heard a groan and turned to see James turn in his bed again. She walked over to James and looked down at him.

He looked adorable as he slept. His mouth was closed, and without his glasses, Lily saw how truly long his eyelashes were. He was lying on his back, with a slight frown on his face. She saw that his legs were curled up to the side, and his hands were by his head, as if he was surrendering. She ran her hand gently through his hair, and a small smile formed on his face. Lily noticed the way his nose scrunched slightly when he smiled, and how he had a dimple near his ear. She put her pink finger in the dimple lightly. She looked over to see if there was one on the other side, but there wasn't. She gently ran her fingers over his hand, which was so much larger than hers. She smiled down at the sleeping James. He looked so angelic. She lightly ran her hand down his face, from his hairline, along his nose, which wasn't perfectly straight, and down to his chin. She sighed and removed her hand from his face and she heard James moan slightly. She grinned at James again, and dragged her fingers across his hand again, and she almost screamed as James's hand closed around her fingers. She looked down to see that James was still asleep. She smiled and tried to wriggle her fingers out of his hand, but he squeezed tighter. She sighed and lay down next to James, on top of the blanket. She leaned her head on James shoulder, and sighed, taking in the scent of him.

How she had come to love him so much in so little time?

She shivered suddenly from the cold in James' room and snuggled inside the covers next to James, who was warm. She sighed in contentment and closed her eyes. She felt James' hand release hers as his arms wrapped around her. She looked up again to make sure he was asleep, and, realizing he was, she tucked her head into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes.

Lily's eyes snapped open to see James lying next to her, looking down at her. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. It was 8. She'd only been sleeping for half an hour? Why had it seemed like longer?

"Lily?" James asked, looking down at her, as if expecting Sirius to transform back into himself and yell 'gotcha!'

"Hi James," she sighed, leaning into him again.

"What are you doing in my bed?" he asked warily as he moved Lily's hair, which had come free, out of her face.

"It's a long story," she said tiredly, "Hestia woke me up at 5 so she could start your slave day early, and then Sirius told her to do it later and he and Hestia went to the other room, so I was in your room exploring and then I came here and lay down and then it was cold so I got into the covers and then I fell asleep." James smiled at her run on sentence and wrapped his arms around her again, just like he'd found them when he'd woken up.

"I can't believe you woke up at 5," James chuckled, and he saw Lily's nose wrinkle.

"It was terrible. The sun wasn't even up," she said disgustedly, and James laughed. He looked down at Lily to see she was wearing a large shirt instead of her usual pajamas.

"What are you wearing?" he asked curiously, tugging at the shirt from where his hands were at her back. He noticed Lily blush and looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. Lily shook her head and tucked her face in James' neck.

"I'm sleeping," she mumbled, and James chuckled. He moved the covers aside and looked down, ignoring Lily's protests and whining about how cold it was, to see Lily wearing his old Quidditch jersey, which read 'Potter' on the back in large golden letters.

"Why are you in my Quidditch jersey?" he asked, tracing his last name, which had been on his shoulder blades, but were lower on Lily. Lily mumbled something and he pulled back, "Sorry I didn't catch that," he said.

"Well you're not getting it back so don't bother," Lily said, pulling her face out of James' neck and looking up at him cheekily. James grinned down at her.

"I wasn't going to ask for it back, you look rather good in my shirt," he said, and Lily flushed, "how did you get it?"

"I opened your cupboard and it was there so I took it," she said, shrugging.

"And why were you opening my cupboard?" he asked, smiling as he watched Lily's discomfort.

"I was exploring," she decided on saying. James chuckled and turned to lie on his back. Lily was surrounded by the smell of James and smiled. James had his arm around Lily, hugging her to his side, "You smell good," mumbled Lily.

"Thanks Lils," James chuckled, ruffling Lily's hair with his other hand.

"Why are you so cheerful in the morning?" Lily mumbled, looking up at him with tired eyes and frowning.

_Because I woke up next to you, _James thought, but decided on saying, "No reason." Lily rolled her eyes and looked to see James was not wearing a shirt, and smiled.

"You shouldn't wear a shirt more often," she sighed, and James chuckled. She was obviously extremely delirious. She was only half awake from what he could tell.

"I'd say the same to you Lils, but that might earn me a smack," he said, and Lily grinned.

"Yes it probably would," she chuckled, and James smiled. Lily moved so she was lying across James' chest, and he wrapped both of his arms around her.

"Go to sleep Lils," he said, running his hand through her hair, enjoying the texture of her hair in between his fingers.

"No it's morning now," she muttered, "And I want to make sure Hestia doesn't murder you."

"Why?" James asked cheekily and saw Lily roll her eyes

"Because I love you, obviously," Lily sighed, and James felt his stomach flip as it always did when Lily said those words. They lay like that for a while, James running his hands through Lily's hair, while Lily lay, half asleep, on James's chest. They chatted and when James smiled Lily moved her hand and stuck her pinky finger in his dimple.

"Lily what are you doing?" James asked as Lily's pinky finger rested by his ear.

"You have a dimple here," she smiled, and James rolled his eyes, "it's probably because of your lack of brain," she said matter-of-factly, and James gasped. She put his hands around Lily's waist, flipping her so he was on top of her. Lily squealed and James grinned at her, resting on his elbows as not to crush Lily. He grabbed his wand and pointed it at the door, casting a muffiliato spell so the room was soundproof and nobody would hear Lily's squeals.

"You're so noisy," he chastised, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him. He let his hands roam down from Lily's hips, and reached bare skin soon, "Lily are you wearing nothing other than my jersey?" he asked, gulping.

"No I have shorts on," she said, pulling the jersey up so James could see the shorts, "and stop calling it your jersey," she added, and James rolled his eyes.

"Whose name is on the back of it?" he asked, lying down next to Lily.

"I don't care," she muttered, and James laughed.

"It say's Potter," he said, and Lily smiled sheepishly at him.

"Really? Now its more proof that you're mine," she sighed, and James rolled his eyes, ignoring his pounding heart.

"I believe, since the jersey is mine, you are mine," he shrugged but Lily shook her head.

"I took the jersey, so you're mine." James gave up, not bothering to point out to Lily that her logic made no sense, and kissed Lily on top of her head. Just then, the door opened and Hestia walked in, followed by a yawning Sirius.

"Nice Prongs. You got Lily-flower in your bed," Sirius winked, as he saw Lily lying down next to James.

"Lily, out of the bed," Hestia instructed. Lily sighed, kissed James on the cheek, before climbing out of the bed. She walked over to Sirius, and leaned against him. Sirius put his arm around her shoulders in a brotherly fashion and looked at her outfit with raised eyebrows.

"It's mine now," Lily shrugged and Sirius grinned, before turning back to see Hestia and James.

"Now, you are my slave for the day," Hestia said, "So get out of bed." James dragged himself out of bed and Hestia sighed. Lily walked over to James' cupboard and threw him a shirt, which he pulled over his head with a grateful smile to Lily, "Lily if you help him again I swear I will make you a slave as well," Hestia said, turning to look at Lily, who sighed. Lily, walking past Hestia and James, lay back down in James' bed, pulling the covers up to her neck. Sirius was looking longingly at his bed, but didn't sleep as Hestia was glaring at Lily.

"Lily, are you feeling okay?" James asked, looking down at Lily worriedly. Lily nodded and decided to sit up, wrapping herself in James' blanket.

"Now. We're going to go eat breakfast, and then you're at my mercy," Hestia said, and Lily saw James grimace. James held his hand out to Lily, who took it and got out of bed. James spotted Lily's tank top on the floor.

"If you get my jersey, I get to keep that," he said, nodding towards it as they walked out of the door. Lily shrugged, meaning yes, and James smiled. They walked down, hand in hand, to the dining room. Lily gasped as she looked around. Overnight, tinsel and some other decorations had been put up around the Potter mansion.

"It's so pretty!" she gasped, looking around as James led her to the dining room. She entered the dining room and she saw Emily's eyes scrutinize what she was wearing, and realized she was in James' jersey, blushing. James sat down next to his father and Lily sat down next to James for a change.

"Morning!" Hestia said cheerfully, sauntering into the room, dragging a lethargic Sirius in behind her. Sirius glared at his girlfriend and flopped down in a seat. Lily knew exactly how he felt.

"Why are you so tired?" Daniel asked, looking from Lily to Sirius.

"Hestia," Sirius muttered angrily, rubbing at his eyes. Lily had never seen Sirius look so vulnerable. It was adorable.

"She woke us up at five," Lily grumbled, and Emily shot her a sympathetic look.

"Why?" Daniel asked, looking at Hestia.

"It's James' slave day. I wanted to start early, but Lily and Sirius had to be loyal and let him sleep," Hestia said, sticking her tongue out at Lily, who grinned at her.

"That's a horrible time to wake up," Emily said, cutting into her omelet.

"I know! The sun wasn't even up!" Lily whined, earning a round of chuckles from everyone. James took Lily's hand in his, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Lily watched, amused, as James tried to eat with his left hand, dropping cereal everywhere, and she bit her lip to hide her chuckling. James narrowed his eyes at her, and took his hand away so he could eat.

Once they had finished with breakfast, Hestia stood up, looking at James pointedly. Lily heard James groan and turned to kiss him on the cheek, "good luck," she said cheerfully.

"Aren't you going to stay and witness my suffering?" James pleaded, and Lily shook her head.

"Sirius and I are going to bond," she said, rolling her eyes at the word, which was how Sirius had described it.

"PADS!" James whined, turning to Sirius, who held his hands up in surrender.

"This war is between you and Hestia. I am going to take Lily-flower," he said, and walked around, holding his arm out for Lily. Lily rolled her eyes and took his arm.

"If you steal my girlfriend I'll kill you," James yelled after Sirius and Lily. He turned to see Hestia watching him with a determined expression and groaned. This was going to be a long day.

Lily laughed as the cards in front of them exploded in Sirius' face.

"Lily-flower this isn't funny!" Sirius whined, feeling his face to make sure everything was intact.

"Don't worry Sirius. It didn't burn your eyebrows away this time." Lily giggled. They had been playing Exploding Snap for an hour and Sirius was extremely bad at the game. He had been exploded on so many times, and the previous time his eyebrows had been singed. Sirius turned to narrow his eyes at her.

"Can we play something else? This is damaging my pretty face," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"What do you suggest?"

"Let's play a game!"

"Exploding Snap is a game, Sirius."

"Let's play a less face-risking game!"

"I don't think anything can save your face," Lily said, winking at Sirius, who balked at her.

"Lily Evans, are you suggesting that I, the epitome of sexiness, am not attractive?" Lily grinned at Sirius, whose jaw dropped, looking offended. Lily laughed and stood up, Sirius following suite. They had been sitting in James' room while Hestia was doing Merlin knows what with James. Sirius walked over to the other side of the room and opened a cupboard, pulling out two brooms and a chest.

"Are you suggesting we play Quidditch?" Lily asked, crossing her arms as if it was the most ridiculous idea possible, which it was.

"Not Quidditch. I'm suggesting we fly around and see who can catch the snitch first!" Sirius said excitedly, tossing Lily a broom. It was the Nimbus 500.

"Are you sure you meant to toss me such a good broom?" she asked, looking down at it warily.

"These are James' extra brooms," Sirius said, rolling his eyes as he gestured to his own broom, which was a Nimbus 800.

"I don't think it's fair that you get the faster broom when competing against a girl," Lily said. Sirius guffawed.

"Ah Lily, as I am the one who suggested the game, I get the advantage of picking brooms," he shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes, "There's a large garden where we usually play Quidditch outside," Sirius said, and Lily gave in. they walked down the stairs to see James carrying a large pink bag on his shoulder, "Manly Prongs," Sirius snickered. James narrowed his eyes at Sirius.

"I hate your girlfriend," James muttered. He smiled at Lily before walking up the stairs, "Don't hurt my stuff!" he yelled, and Sirius rolled his eyes. They walked out into the garden and followed another path, leading them to a large garden with tall hedges.

"Does he have everything?" Lily muttered, looking around at the large field. Sirius rolled his eyes, in agreement with Lily, before opening the chest and pulling the snitch out.

"Okay, rules. You are not allowed to knock the other one off their brooms. We play until someone has caught the snitch. We go all over the Potter plot. Alright?" Lily nodded and mounted her broom, "Ready?" Sirius yelled, from where he was starting on the other side of the pitch. Sirius released the snitch and it flew up, flying out of sight. Sirius counted down from ten, "2…1! GO!"

Lily kicked off from the ground and felt he wind through her hair. She had always been a fair flyer; she just preferred to do indoor activities. She circled the area, looking around, but she saw Sirius fly off in a different direction.

"Set off fireworks when you find it!" Sirius yelled over his shoulder, and Lily rolled her eyes. Only Sirius would want fireworks. Lily flew in the direction she had seen the snitch fly off, not that Sirius had been paying any attention. She flew around to the front of the Potter mansion, and frowned, suddenly realizing something. They were on winter break. It was snowing at Hogwarts. Why were they able to dress in shorts outdoors, where there was no sun, and it felt like summer? She decided to ask James later, not wanting to lose to Sirius, or he would use it against her for the rest of her life, as well as tease her on how girls couldn't do anything better than boys.

What felt like minutes, but was actually hours, later, they hadn't found the snitch. They had taken a break for lunch, where Lily and Sirius had eyed each other competitively, and James had tried to hide from Hestia. The two of them had almost run out of the house to find the snitch again once they had finished. Lily had even mounted the broom in the dining room alone, flying through the house and out the back door. Lily looked down at her watch, and saw that it was close to 5 in the evening, and sighed. She had wasted a whole day searching for the snitch. She saw a speck in the distance and watched as Sirius flew over to her. "Any sign of it?" he asked hopefully, and Lily shook her head.

She opened her mouth to say she gave up, but there was a glint in the distance of Sirius' shoulder. She flew around Sirius, heading for the glint, and she could almost feel Sirius' following her. The snitch flew down, and they both dove after it. It went into the back garden by the pool and then flew towards the mansion. Lily had a close call at the pool, pulling up just in time, but her toes still skimmed the water. She followed the snitch inside the house, but Sirius entered before her. The two of them, screaming and laughing, flew all over the house after the snitch. It flew up the stairs and they followed it. Daniel, who was sitting in the family room, yelled in alarm as they 'whooshed' over him, and a giggle escaped Lily. The snitch flew into James' room and the two of them flew inside. Sirius gestured for her to dismount her broom, so, making sure Sirius was as well, she dismounted. Sirius pointed his wand at the door and it shut, leaving the snitch trapped in James' room.

"I say we have a competition to see who can catch it, without brooms," Sirius grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. Manually? Piece of cake. She was a muggle after all, "GO!" Sirius yelled. He jumped onto his bed, jumping up and down to get it. Lily climbed on James' dresser. The snitch was hovering near the ceiling above James' cupboard. Sirius ran over to that side, attempting to climb the cupboard, but falling miserably on his bottom. Lily laughed, placing her foot on the handle of the cupboard door, and climbing up on it. She reached up to grab the snitch, but screamed as Sirius pulled the cupboard door open, causing Lily, who was clutching onto it, to fly backwards as the door opened.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" she yelled angrily. Sirius snickered and started climbing the shelves of the cupboard. Irritated, Lily rocked back and forth, and, to her satisfaction, the door started to close. Sirius squealed, in a girly way to Lily's intense happiness, and jumped off of the cupboard as if it had turned to fire. Lily reached up to grab the snitch and Sirius growled.

"What was that?" Hestia said, looking up as a scream resounded through the corridor. They were in Lily and Hestia's room, and James was painting her toenails. He had perfected the art of nail painting, hair curling, hair straightening, and advising people in make up during the course of the day. His head, too, snapped up at the scream.

"Lily," he said, worried. He ran out of the room, followed closely by Hestia, whose nails weren't dry yet. They threw open the door to James' room to see Lily, on her bum, with Sirius dancing around her happily, holding a snitch, "What happened?" he asked, trying not to laugh, as he pulled Lily to her feet.

"Your stupid boyfriend," she said, glaring at Hestia, who turned to frown at Sirius, "I was hanging on to the cupboard door and he pulled my hair, and then tickled me and I fell off the door and he grabbed the snitch," she said, glaring at Sirius, who grinned at her happily.

"All is fair in love and war my sweet," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you pulled my hair," she said, fingering her ponytail, feeling as if it had been ripped out of her skull, "and hard I might add." James, chuckling silently, pulled Lily's hair out of a ponytail and she growled at him.

"It'll feel better," he said cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes. Sirius, trying to make up to Lily, ran towards her and pulled her into a spine-crushing hug.

"Sirius! Get off!" Lily choked out. Sirius shook his head and spun her around, and Lily started to scream. James protectively released her from Sirius' grip and massaged her lower back, helping her breathe. Sirius stuck his tongue out at James and walked over to Hestia.

"Shiny," he said, looking at Hestia's finger and toenails. Lily heard James groan and hid a smile. Poor James must have been miserable.

"Aren't they beautiful?" she squealed, wiggling her fingers so the light hit them in different places.

"Your toenails are a bit messy," Lily said, looking down at Hestia's feet, and Hestia screamed.

"James!" she yelled, and James sighed. He pulled the bottle of nail polish out of his pocket and walked over to fix them. Once Hestia was satisfied, she patted him on the head like a dog, "Good boy." James narrowed his eyes at a snickering Sirius, who grinned at him.

"I got to play Quidditch and you painted nails," he said cheekily, and James glared at his best friend.

"I loathe you."

"What was that? You love me? Aw Prongsie I love you too!" Sirius said gleefully, throwing himself at James. James rolled his eyes but couldn't control the smile that spread across his face. Damn Sirius for being funny. Hestia rolled her eyes and walked over to Lily, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"Your boyfriends sucks at girl things," she said and Lily laughed.

"That's weird, you think he'd be good with hair considering that's probably what those two do in their spare time," Lily said, and Hestia grinned at her, watching Sirius gush about the newfound feelings James has for him, and hug James, who was trying extremely hard not to laugh.

"Sorry mate I'm taken," James said, winking at Lily.

"Oh I could take her," Sirius said with a cheeky grin at Lily.

"I'd like to see you try," Hestia said, rolling her eyes.

"Hestia darling! Are you saying you don't believe I could take Lily-flower? Your own boyfriend?" Sirius pretended to be insulted, and feigned fainting on James. The door opened and Emily walked in.

"Lily," she said, gesturing to Lily, "James." Lily looked at James with wide eyes, intimidated by the expression on Emily's face, which was serious for the first time Lily had ever seen it. James walked over to Lily, taking her hand reassuringly, and they walked out to Emily.

"See you later Prongsie!" Sirius yelled, blowing a kiss to James. James grinned and pretended to catch it, putting it in his pocket. Lily rolled her eyes and mimicked vomiting, at which James chuckled and put his arm around Lily's shoulders, giving her a one armed hug. They followed Emily to James' parents' room. Lily walked in after Emily, dragging James in with her. Daniel was on the bed, and his ears reddened as he saw Lily and James walk in. He put down the book he was reading as Emily sat down next to him. Lily sat down on the rolling chair, while James sat on the bed across from his parents.

"We have an important matter to discuss with you," Emily said formally, and Lily ran her hand through her hair in a very James-like fashion. Emily cleared her throat, but didn't seem able to say anything else. She looked pleadingly towards her husband, he sighed and fingered his messy hair.

"We realize you have been dating for a while now," he said, and Lily's eyes flashed over to James before turning back to them, "and, well, we understand that you are seventeen and of age, but, well, you see, when two people like each other, well, they can express it physically," he said, his voice trailing off as his ears turned bright red.

"ARE YOU GIVING US THE SEX TALK?" James yelled, his voice several octaves too high, and his face redder than Lily's hair, which was saying something. Lily looked down into her lap, her hair cascading down to hide her face, feeling a hot sensation in her stomach as her face and neck heated up, "PLEASE STOP!"

Emily looked up at James with a stern expression, "James, you're older now, it's about time you knew…"

"Mum I know about it! I know how everything works!" he squeaked. Emily's eyes flickered over to Lily and Lily saw James gulp, "No! No! That's not what I mean! I mean, we, no, we haven't, I mean," James coughed and Lily decided to step in.

"We haven't, well, um, yeah," she said quietly, and she saw Emily and Daniel visibly relax.

"Done it?" Daniel said for her, and Lily felt her face skip several colors, going straight to almost purple.

"Yeah. Fornicated. No," she mumbled, and she saw Emily and Daniel burst out laughing.

"Fornicated?" Emily squealed, laughing. Lily turned even redder.

"Well I didn't know what else to say!" she squeaked, and turned to look at James for help, but saw him sitting, frozen with embarrassment.

"Sex?" Emily suggested, but was distracted by a mad coughing coming from James, "Oh really James, grow up," she said, rolling her eyes. Lily smiled nervously and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, "We didn't mean to embarrass you, it's just, you were wearing his jersey this morning, so I assumed…" she trailed off, looking apologetically at Lily, who nodded in understanding, not able to say anything. There was an awkward silence before James cleared his throat.

"Can we go?" he choked out.

"Yeah, sure!" Daniel said, just as awkwardly. James stood up quickly, took Lily's hand, and dragged her out of the room. They walked down the hallway and went into Lily's room, which was, mercifully, empty. Once the door closed, Lily broke down in a fit of giggles.

"That was so awkward!" she giggled, and James felt a smile spread across his face, which was still pink.

"It was more than awkward," he said, and Lily doubled over in hysterics. He put his hands around her waist to calm her down, and after a little bit, Lily calmed down enough to stand up straight, stretching out her abdominal muscles. James' grip tightened on her waist and he pulled her closer to him. Lily stretched up to kiss him and he kissed her back. When they were in need of oxygen, they broke apart, both gasping for air.

"About what they were talking about," James murmured, joking, and Lily turned pink.

"Oh shut up James"

"Just Kidding Lils"

"I have a question Potter"

"Yes Evans," James asked, a smile playing around his mouth.

"Why isn't it snowing at your house?"

"Oh, we put a spell so that it was warm when I came back this time," he shrugged, and Lily nodded, "any specific reason you just thought of that?" he smirked.

"No, why?"

"Well I was hoping since I was so hot you thought about that," he winked and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Once again, shut up James"

"Will do"

They went down for dinner that night to see even more decorations put up. There was an extravagant tree in the middle of the Potter mansion, reaching up to the ceiling right outside the dining room where the living room was. Emily and Daniel weren't downstairs yet. Sirius suddenly started pushing Hestia towards the corner of the room.

"Sirius what the hell?" Hestia said, watching as her boyfriend pushed her. He pushed her to an awkward spot by the wall.

"Oh look, mistletoe!" he said, looking up, "what a coincidence!" Lily laughed as Hestia rolled her eyes.

"It only counts if it's coincidental Sirius"

"This was a coincident!"

"No it wasn't you shoved me here!"

"Well it was just coincident that I shoved you then!"

"Infallible logic," James said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"James I think you might need a napkin to wipe the sarcasm dripping off your chin," Daniel said, throwing a tissue at James as he walked in, causing Lily to snort. James laughed and threw the napkin back at his father. Emily walked in and smiled at Lily.

"You're sitting next to me. I don't like sitting next to Sirius. I don't appreciate being nauseated," she said, shaking her head as if to rid her mind of Sirius' eating, and Lily chuckled. Sirius pouted as he looked at Emily.

"You couldn't possibly mean that!" he said, and then smirked, "I think you're nauseated because I'm so incredibly sexy that you get nauseated as you realize you are, in fact, married, and cannot date me, and you're nauseated out of sadness," Sirius declared, plopping himself onto a chair, winking suggestively at Emily.

"Padfoot. No hitting on my mum"

"But Prongsie!"

"No that's final"

"Wow you're so stern. I like"

"I'm sure you're falling in love with me Pads"

"Yes Prongs, I feel tingles at your stern words"

Lily and Hestia snorted simultaneously and Lily saw Daniel and Emily exchange an exasperated look, deciding not to interrupt their sons lovers quarrel with his best mate.

"And to think, you get so sleep in the same room as me tonight"

"Don't tempt me Prongs"

"I'm sure you're having trouble resisting the urge"

"Yes I'm already plotting how I'm going to get in bed with you"

"I'm sure you are. I'm very appealing"

"Couldn't agree more. Hair, eyes, height, muscles. What more could I ask for?"

"Precisely what I was thinking"

"Now its your turn to say something about me by the way"

"Oh of course how silly of me. Graceful hair, grey eyes, it's irresistible"

"I know right! No wonder I'm hottest guy at Hogwarts"

"Who me? Yeah I know"

"No me!"

"What! Have you _seen _me?"

"Alright we're stopping this now," Daniel said awkwardly, "I think we had the talk with the wrong people," he muttered to Emily, who chuckled. Lily felt her face heat up at the reminder, and decided to focus on the dinner.

"Miss Lily!" she turned at the sound of her name to see Alan. He put her dessert in front of her, magicking the desserts for everyone else. He laid a lily down by her plate before disapparating.

"That's so cheesy! It's adorable!" Hestia squealed, leaning over to take the lily. Lily looked up to see Daniel smiling smugly.

"Fine I believe you!" she said, and Daniel grinned. He looked over at his wife smugly, and Emily rolled her eyes. When they were done, Emily stood up commandingly.

"Off to bed, all of you. Merry Christmas Eve! I'm sending you to bed now because, knowing James, he'll have you up at the crack of dawn," she said, smiling lovingly at her son, "he loves Christmas," she added as explanation to Lily and Hestia's confused expressions, "Good night!" she said cheerfully, pushing them all out of the dining room.

"Good night m'lady," Sirius said, bowing to Emily. Daniel smirked as Emily rolled her eyes.

"C'mon Pads," James muttered, grabbing Sirius by the hair.

"Prongsie not the hair!" Sirius yelled, smacking James' hands away as he attempted to fix his hair, "HESTIA!" he yelled in a sing-song voice, causing Hestia, who was standing right behind him, to wince.

"No need to YELL Sirius. For the love of Merlin," she muttered, massaging her ears. Lily laughed and put her arm around her friend's shoulders. They reached the hallway and Sirius gave Hestia a quick peck goodnight, before walking into James' room.

"I'm waiting Prongsie," he called seductively, and Lily chuckled as James rolled his eyes.

"Good night," James said, leaning his forehead on Lily's. Lily looked up at him and grinned.

"Good night"

"MORNING!" Lily sat up quickly at the sound of James' voice. She turned to look at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was only five in the morning.

"James Potter, you arrogant toerag, get out of my bedroom I am trying to sleep!" she growled. James laughed cheerfully and reached down, scooping Lily in his arms. Carrying her bridal style, he spun around happily, "Put me down!" she squealed, smacking at his shoulders. James put her on her feet, chuckling, and Lily wobbled as a result of lack of equilibrium from being woken up so early, and being dizzy.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" he yelled happily. He kissed her passionately and Lily found herself kissing him back, with too much energy for five in the morning.

"Merry Christmas," she said tiredly, rubbing at her eyes.

"Okay. So Sirius is getting dressed. You are awake. HESTIA!" he yelled.

"WHAT?" Hestia hissed, getting out of the bed to walk over to him.

"Okay so that's all of you awake now," he winked, and Lily giggled, "Let's go! It's Christmas!" He yelled gleefully, pulling Lily's hand. Lily grabbed Hestia as James dragged her to his room, "PADFOOT!" James bellowed.

"Oh shut up Prongs," Sirius muttered, walking out from the bathroom in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes.

"PRESENTS!"

"FIVE IN THE MORNING!"

"PRESENTS!"

"Oh what the hell," Sirius muttered, a grin appearing on his face, "Lead the way." James grinned happily and, still holding onto Lily's hand, sprinted out the door. Sirius grabbed Hestia, who promptly let go of Lily's hand, to save her from James' Christmas present opening wrath.

"Thanks," Hestia grinned and Sirius winked.

"Merry Christmas." Sirius leaned down to kiss his girlfriend and pulled back, a smile appearing on his face. Hestia smiled and pinched his chin.

"You're so cute. Let's go before Lily kills James," she chuckled, and Sirius laughed.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Even Moony had to hex him once"

They got downstairs to see Lily sitting cross-legged on the floor watching James, who was ripping his presents open, with an amused expression on her face. James was covered in wrapping paper. Literally. It was in his hair, all over the floor, in his lap. Emily and Daniel were sitting on the sofa, watching James with equally amused expressions. Sirius and Hestia sat next to Lily, who was a little bit away from her crazed boyfriend, and Sirius grinned at Lily, who rolled her eyes in James direction.

"THIS IS AMAZING!" James said, looking down at the present Remus had sent him; a book on spells for pranking and mischief. He looked up at Lily's disapproving expression and stuck his tongue out at her. He was such a child sometimes. Peter had sent him a large box of Quality Quidditch Supplies, which James' eyes kept flickering to. He had the same reaction to all the presents he opened including a large bag of Zonkos products and Honeydukes candy from Gwenog, Alice and Hestia and a new broomstick and a sweater from his parents. They had bought him the new Comet Two-Sixty. Even Lily's parents had sent him a present, and so had Petunia. Lily gasped as James read out whom it was from. He ripped the wrapping of the small present away nervously, and Lily saw his face turn bright red, biting down on his lip trying not to laugh.

"What did she send you?"

"Nothing!" he said in an amused voice, shoving the gift into his pocket, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him. She'd find out later. There were only two presents left for James, from Sirius and Lily. James grabbed Sirius' first, and ripped the wrapping paper off excitedly, pulling out a book, "Breaking tradition aren't we mate?" he asked, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Read the cover." James looked down at it and a grin spread across his face.

"How to charm a witch," he chuckled, and Sirius felt the eyes of all the girls turn to glare at him.

"I figured it was 'bout time I passed it down," Sirius shrugged, earning him a smack in the arm from Hestia, and James laughed.

"It's brilliant mate"

"I know. Now you'll finally learn why McGonagall's got it so bad for me." Daniel choked on his tea and Lily burst into laughter. James leaned forward for Lily's present and ripped the wrapping off, unveiling a toaster, and he laughed.

"That's not the real present, I just couldn't resist," Lily grinned, and James turned to her with a blazing look in his eyes.

"There's another one?"

"You'll get it later," she said, rolling her eyes, "It's upstairs."

"GO GET IT!"

"No." James pouted and Lily pinched his cheek, "Patience is a virtue,"

"I'm not very virtuous"

"There's a first time for everything," she shrugged, and she saw Emily grin out of the corner of her eye, "So who's next?" she asked quickly before James could say anything else.

"MY TURN!" Hestia squealed, and Sirius turned in alarm to look at her.

"Hestia's almost as bad as James during Christmas," Lily explained, grinning, and she saw Sirius groan and smack his palm to his forehead.

"How do I end up with these people?" he whined, causing James and Hestia to gasp.

"But you love us!" James said, clutching at his heart. Sirius blew a kiss to James, who caught it and put it in his pocket, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Hestia I think they're going to switch teams," she said, and Hestia nodded seriously.

"DIBS ON REMUS!" she yelled, and Lily gasped.

"No way!"

"Fine, we'll see who he picks," Hestia grinned, and Lily snorted. She noticed Sirius and James glaring at them and grinned.

"It's okay you guys, we're fine with your forbidden love," Hestia said, pinching Sirius' chin. James and Sirius snorted, and sat up straighter.

"Not gay"

"Yep no way"

"Oookay suuure," Daniel said, and James turned to glare at his father, who gave him a cheeky grin.

"Go on Hestia," Emily said, resolutely ignoring James and Daniel. Hestia grabbed her first present happily and ripped the paper away quickly and happily, uncovering Honeydukes sweets from Peter and Remus, a large makeup and cosmetics set from James, which cause Hestia to laugh, a large set of professional journalism materials from Gwenog, Alice and Lily, a few things from her parents, a gorgeous bracelet from the Potters, and lastly, an extravagant hairclip from Sirius. Hestia gasped at the expensive hair clip and Sirius grinned, placing it in her hair. Hestia looked at Sirius with tearful eyes and he kissed her on the nose quickly.

Sirius went next. His family hadn't sent him anything, and he brushed it off, but Lily saw the way his smile hadn't reached his eyes after that. She looked up at James, who was looking at Sirius worriedly. However, the next present he unwrapped was from Lily, and it made him laugh, forgetting about his family. She had sent him a dog bowl, with the word Sirius on the side of it, filled with Zonkos products and Honeydukes chocolates. Underneath the large pile of Zonkos and Honeydukes, there was a small box. He opened it excitedly, to find a dog tag on a silver chain saying 'If found, don't forget to feed'. Sirius guffawed and leaned over to hug Lily, who grinned at him.

"Thanks Lily-flower," he said, and Lily smiled sweetly at him. Sirius put on his dog tag happily. Remus had sent him a leather jacket, which Sirius looked at proudly, shrugging it on. It suited him. Peter had sent him a book on grooming dogs, which Sirius guffawed at, as well as another book on pickup lines and insults. James had given him keys, "What are these for?" Sirius asked, and James grinned.

"You'll see"

Emily and Daniel had made up for the fact that Sirius hadn't received any presents from his family with a sweater, which was identical to the one they had given to James, which was covered in pictures of food. Lily saw Sirius' eyes glaze with tears as he pulled it out, and she smiled. If anyone deserved a family's love, it was Sirius. The last one Sirius opened was from Hestia, and he smiled down at it happily. It was a simple photograph with Hestia sitting on his lap, laughing and two of them talking, the words 'I love you' carved into the photo frame. Sirius leaned over to kiss Hestia, briefly but passionately.

"Now what is this for?" Sirius asked James, swinging the keys in front of his face. James sighed.

"We'll go after Lily opens her presents." Sirius turned to look at Lily, as if to tell her to hurry up, and she grinned at him. She leaned forward and grabbed her presents. The first one she opened was from her parents, and it was a pair of boots she had had her eyes on since she had turned twelve. She squealed and pulled them on, smiling at them on her feet. She opened the next one, from Hestia, and pulled out a photo album.

"Look through it later, Sirius might die of anticipation if you look at it now," Hestia said, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend, who was jumping up and down in his seat. Lily grinned and put the photo album down next to her. She grabbed the next present, which was from Gwenog and Alice, and laughed down at the book; _How to control your boyfriend. _She heard James' mouth pop open and grinned up at him. She placed the book to the side and grabbed the next present, from Sirius. She looked down at the present fearfully, and then at Sirius, who winked. She pulled the wrapping paper off carefully and looked down at the small velvet box.

"Sirius Black if you propose to her I will kill you," Hestia said, and Sirius laughed. Lily, smiling, pulled the box open to see a silver ring with a lily on it. She looked up at Sirius and smiled at him. The words 'Lily-flower' were carved in the bottom and she laughed, putting it on her right ring finger. She grabbed the next one, from Emily and Daniel. She ripped the paper and saw the plate, which read 'I love you' on it, and a velvet box.

"Why is everyone proposing to my girlfriend?" James yelled, and Emily and Daniel laughed. There was a piece of paper inside, as well as a bracelet. It was a golden bracelet covered in diamonds.

"They're goblin made, you see how they sparkle brightly?" Daniel said, and Lily looked up at them tearfully. She opened her mouth to say something but Daniel held his hand up, shaking his head, "No need for thank you, we have more to thank you for," he grinned, and Lily smiled at him. She put the bracelet on and then grabbed the next one.

"Why is mine last?" James whined, and Lily ignored him. She pulled open the present, no idea who had sent it, to see a photo frame, with a muggle picture of two girls in tutus, with the word 'Sisters' on it. She smiled down at the picture of her and Petunia grinning at the camera. There was a note clinging to the back of the frame and she pulled it off.

_Lily, you'll always be my sister no matter what happens. Sorry for everything, have a wonderful life. Love you, Petunia._

She wiped a tear that was threatening to escape, and opened the back of the frame, putting the note in there. She put the frame down and James looked at curiously, smiling at the picture. She reached for the last one, from James, but it was suddenly ripped out of her hand.

"Close your eyes," James said, and Lily groaned.

"I hate surprises!"

"I don't care shut your eyes." Lily sighed and obliged. She suddenly felt something cold on her neck and gasped, "Don't open them!" James squealed, and she kept her eyes closed, resisting the urge to open them and look down, "Okay you can open them now," he said happily, and she looked down to see a beautiful heart locket on it. She opened it, and saw a picture of her and James, before smiling up at him.

"Thank you." James smiled down at her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Now can I see my present?" he asked

"NO ME FIRST!" Sirius burst, jumping up. James laughed and stood up, nodding.

"Yes okay Pads. This way," he said, gesturing for him to follow. Hestia rushed forward quickly, following after them, and Lily made to follow, but was blocked by Emily, who came up in front of her, and looked at the locket. Lily saw tears well up in Emily's eyes and Emily smiled down at her happily, before pushing her in the direction James and Sirius had gone.

"PRONGSIE I LOVE YOU!" she heard Sirius yell as she stepped outside. Sirius was standing next to a large motorcycle with a joyful expression on his face. James shrugged and grinned. Lily watched as Sirius hugged James with so much enthusiasm that James was knocked over, tackled to the ground by Sirius, "I'VE ALWAYS WANTED ONE!" Sirius yelled happily, jumping off James, who got up, messing his hair up with his hand.

"I know Pads"

"And it really FLIES?" James nodded and Sirius yelled happily, "BEST MATE EVER!" Lily saw James blush a little and smiled. Sirius mounted the motorcycle and looked around, "coming?"

"Can we all fit?" Hestia asked, and Sirius rolled his eyes, meaning yes. Hestia grinned and sat down in front of Sirius, who kissed the top of her head. Lily sat behind Sirius, and James sat behind her.

"LILY SANDWICH!" Sirius yelled, leaning back, and Lily squealed as James leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around her middle. She chuckled at how many girls would die to be in her position, with Sirius Black and James Potter hugging her to death.

"Can't breathe!" Lily choked out and Sirius laughed devilishly, before leaning forward.

"Ready?" he asked, revving the motorcycle. Lily squealed, and wrapped her arms around Sirius, "Careful now Lily-flower. Don't want Prongs to get the wrong idea," he said, turning around to wink at Lily. Lily rolled her eyes and slapped Sirius in between the shoulder blades.

"Shut up and GO." Sirius snickered and turned forwards.

"Hold on Hestia, love," he said, and Hestia grabbed the handlebars, her hands next to Sirius'. James wrapped his hands around Lily, holding on, and Lily felt the familiar flipping of a pancake sensation in her stomach. Sirius stepped on the accelerator, and the motorcycle lurched forward with a roar. They sped forwards, and Sirius stepped on a pedal and the motorcycle flew up into the air. Lily screamed as they flew up, as did everyone else, gripping tighter onto Sirius. Once they were up in the air, Lily felt the rush of adrenalin.

"This is amazing!" she screamed over the noise, and she saw Sirius nod enthusiastically. Once they got high enough, they burst outside the charm of the Potter's house, and found themselves surrounded by snow. Still dressed in their pajamas, they shivered. Lily had been sleeping in James' jersey, Hestia in her spaghetti and shorts, and James wearing a wife-beater and boxers. Sirius was the only one who was okay, as he was wearing his leather jacket, but with boxers.

"I AM FREEZING MY NUTS OFF PADS! GO BACK DOWN!" James yelled, and Sirius laughed, as Lily blushed at the mention of James's, erm, member.

"GOOD TO KNOW PRONGS!" Sirius yelled, but all the same, he flew lower, so they weren't so close to the clouds, "I love this," Sirius said, turning around to smile at James with a smile that had so much genuine brotherly love in it, Lily smiled. _Only the Marauders_, she thought, rolling her eyes.

They reached the house in the afternoon, after chasing birds, racing with them, and conjuring snowballs to fly at unsuspecting muggles, using the invisibility booster that came with the motorcycle, who looked around in search for where the snowball had come from. They had become immune to the cold after a while, and when they entered the Potter mansion property, under the hot sun, Lily shuddered, becoming aware of how cold she had been. Emily and Daniel were standing on the porch, watching the motorcycle fly in.

"You went out there dressed like that!" Emily screeched, "You could have frozen to death!"

"What would you have done had that happened? What would you do without me?" Sirius said dramatically, getting down on his knees in front of Emily, who fought, but couldn't resist the urge to smile. She rolled her eyes, patted Sirius on the head, and walked inside the house, followed by her chuckling husband, who gave Sirius a faux threatening look.

"Stay away from my wife," he said in a would-be menacing tone, but he ruined the effect by grinning. Sirius bowed down in front of him and Daniel laughed, following his wife inside. Once they got inside, Sirius and Hestia showered first, leaving Lily and James in wait for the bathroom. James walked into Lily's room, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Merry Christmas love," he whispered in her ear, before kissing her gently along her jaw.

"Merry Christmas James," she laughed, before turning her head to kiss him.

"I want my present now," James said stubbornly, sitting down on the edge of the bed, closing his eyes, and holding out his hands. Lily rolled her eyes and walked over to her trunk. She pulled out a small box and handed it to James.

"Sorry I didn't wrap it," she said, but James ignored her, pulling the box out of her hand. He opened it and gasped, "I got it when we were at my parents. I hope you like it," she muttered, and James grinned up at her.

"Lils this is amazing," he whispered. Inside, was a sphere of crystal, with a wizarding photo embedded inside it of Lily and James dancing together at Remus's birthday celebration, where they were slow dancing. James watched as he whispered something to Lily, who smiled and nodded. He grinned; it was when he had asked her out, "where did you get this?" he asked, and Lily grinned.

"I have my sources." James stood up, laying the glass down gently, and clasped Lily's face in his hands, resting his forehead on hers.

"You, Lily Evans, are a mystery." Lily grinned up at him, and was about to say something, but her lips were suddenly busy. She wrapped her arms around James neck and pulled herself closer to him. James put one of his hands in her hair, and held her tightly to him. They broke apart and grinned at each other, looking at each other's eyes.

"A good mystery I hope," she said cheekily.

"The best," he whispered, before leaning down to kiss her once more.

**Okay. Sorry it took so long to update, but I was suffering writers block. My apologies. I hope you like the story! I was going to wait until Christmas to post this one, but I figured that's way too long to wait. Review (:**

**Happy Fanficcing! (I think that should be a verb. Just like the way Facebooking should be)**


	14. Howling

**Hey guys! Okay, so I'm on Christmas break now, so you can be expecting faster updates because I don't have anything to do except read 'Heart of Darkness' for English, and lets face it, I'm not going to do that until the last week of vacation (: Oh, and because I've had people ask, I'm 16. Enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I think everyone gets that I don't own Harry Potter. Although I wouldn't mind owning James, or Sirius, or Remus…*drifts off in to a daze***

_**Previously:**_

"_You, Lily Evans, are a mystery." Lily grinned up at him, and was about to say something, but her lips were suddenly busy. She wrapped her arms around James neck and pulled herself closer to him. James put one of his hands in her hair, and held her tightly to him. They broke apart and grinned at each other, looking at each other's eyes._

"_A good mystery I hope," she said cheekily._

"_The best," he whispered, before leaning down to kiss her once more. _

They left the Potter mansion a few days letter, albeit, regretfully. Lily didn't want to go. She loved it at the Potter house. It felt like home to her, and she felt somewhat more at home there than she did at her own house. Emily and Daniel were sad to see Lily go as well.

"But I only just met you!" Emily sighed, pulling Lily into a hug. They were going to leave for Hogwarts a few days early to catch up on everything, unpack, and do their holiday homework. Sirius was leaving his flying motorcycle at the Potters' house, as he wouldn't be allowed to take it Hogwarts, which greatly upset him. He was having a tearful goodbye with the motorcycle, probably by snogging Hestia on it, while Lily said goodbye to the Potters.

"Thank you so much for having me over," Lily said, hugging Emily.

"Oh shut up. Come over whenever you want," Emily said, letting go of Lily and wiping her eyes, "I'm just so happy that James found someone so perfect." Lily flushed and smiled at Emily.

"It was really nice meeting you Lily, I'm sure we'll see each other soon or else James isn't going to be coming home," Daniel joked. Lily grinned at him and hugged him. He put his arms around Lily and hugged her back, blinking back tears. He was emotional, so what?

"Thanks dad," James said from where he was standing, arms crossed, behind Lily.

"Love you too son." Daniel said, holding his arms out to James. James, after glaring at his parents playfully, walked into his fathers arms, "Look after yourself, and Lily," Daniel said, wiping his eyes subtly.

"Dad, are you crying?" James asked, and Daniel coughed out a laugh. James turned to his mother, who had tears streaming down her face as she watched James.

"You're so grown up," she cried, pulling James into a hug. James chuckled, hugging his mother tightly, "Be careful," she said, pulling away and brushing her hand through her sons' hair.

"You too. Don't do anything stupid on a raid or anything. I don't want to lose you guys," James said, looking at his parents seriously. Emily and Daniel smiled at James, and Emily cupped his cheek with her hand. Lily suddenly felt like she was intruding.

"You think we'd leave our favorite child?" Daniel said, gesturing to Lily, breaking the silence. James chuckled huskily, and Lily knew he had been close to tears. Lily grinned up at Daniel, "James, you are responsible for her."

"I can take care of myself," Lily grinned, and James turned to her, rolling his eyes, "I can!" she protested. James grinned and put his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

"Of course you can"

Lily harrumphed, and looked around, "Where's your boyfriend?" James messed his hair up.

"Probably having a moment with his motorcycle," he shrugged, and Lily grinned.

"Where's Hestia?"

"Probably having a moment with the motorcycle with Sirius," James said awkwardly, and Lily laughed. So they had been thinking the same thing. She saw Daniel look up awkwardly, and Emily laugh, putting her arm around his waist. Sirius and Hestia approached, rather pink in the face, and Lily coughed, covering up a laugh.

"Did you say goodbye to the bike?" James asked nonchalantly, but Lily could hear the strain to restrain laughter in his voice.

"Yes pretty thoroughly," Sirius winked, and Hestia blushed, "Bye darling!" Sirius yelled, hugging Emily. Emily giggled and hugged Sirius back, "till we meet again," Sirius added, kissing Emily's hand. He turned to Daniel and grinned, "Bye Papa Potter!" Daniel rolled his eyes and laughed as Sirius hugged him as well.

"Take care Sirius," Daniel said, clapping his second son on the back.

"And Behave," Emily added sternly.

"Who moi? When do I not behave?" he said cheekily. Sirius hated goodbyes, so he usually added humour to make them easier.

"Yes Sirius, you're the epitome of sensibility," Hestia said, rolling her eyes as everyone else laughed, "Thanks for having me over," she smiled at Emily and Daniel, who grinned at her.

"Anytime," Daniel said, "Come by for Easter!" he added, and they nodded. Lily knew she would be coming back, even if James weren't.

"Bye!" Lily yelled over her shoulder as they made their way to the gate of the Potter mansion.

"Love you!" James yelled as they exited the mansion, hearing a faint 'love you too' from his parents, "Shall we?" he asked, holding his hand out to Lily. She sighed and grabbed his hand.

"I hate apparating," she mumbled, grabbing her trunk in her other hand. James chuckled and squeezed her hand.

"See you in a bit," he said to Sirius and Hestia, before turning on the spot. After the incredibly uncomfortable sensation of being sucked into a wormhole from your bellybutton, they felt their feet hit the street in Hogsmeade. Lily looked around and shuddered, instantly remembering what had happened the last time she was there. Hestia and Sirius appeared next to them, and together the four of them made their way back to the castle. Lily looked up at the familiar building and felt a jolt in her stomach. It was her last term there.

"I can't believe we're going to be leaving in one term," she mumbled, and she saw James nod sadly next to her. They walked up to the Heads dorm together, as Hestia and Sirius went to Gryffindor Tower, promising to catch up later. James stood in front of the portrait and muttered the password. They walked into the familiar dorm and Lily grinned.

"Welcome home Lils," James grinned, and Lily laughed. She grabbed James and led him to the sofa, leaving their trunks by the entrance. She pushed a bewildered James onto the sofa and sat in his lap.

"Now I'm home," she sighed in contentment, and James grinned, ignoring how his heart had jolted, and started twisting his fingers through Lily's hair, "So is it safe to assume that you will not be coming back tomorrow night?" she asked. James looked down at her, confused, "It's full moon," she said, rolling her eyes, and James' eyes widened in realization.

"If Moony's not here then I'll stay," he said, and Lily nodded, "What do you want to do today?" James asked, looking down at Lily.

"Want to go outside?" she asked, and James nodded happily.

"Go wear layers," he said, pushing Lily off him, and Lily giggled. Once they were properly layered, they walked through the castle, hand in hand, towards the entrance hall, "Let's go to the tree by the lake," he said, and Lily nodded

"The infamous Marauders' tree?" she asked, and he grinned. That tree had been known as property of the Marauders since they had begun their first year. They walked out into the school grounds, hand in hand.

"Shindig, that word always makes me laugh," Lily giggled, adding another word to their list of funny words, which they had somehow ended up discussing, and James laughed.

"Shindig," he chuckled, shaking his head. Lily enjoyed the way it sounded coming out in James' sultry voice, "I like schmeckle."

"Doesn't schmeckle refer to a guys…friend?" she squeaked, and James laughed.

"You mean his penis?"

"Shh!" Lily squealed, slapping James in the arm.

"Lily Evans, are you so immature that you cant stand to hear vulgar language?" James asked in a mocking shocked tone, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I can hear vulgar language. I can say it too"

"Right," James snorted, and Lily turned to look at him.

"Penis," she said, and James grasped at his chest dramatically, causing Lily to roll her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"We should play the penis game," he said happily, and Lily looked at him warily, "No! I don't mean sex!" James squeaked, and Lily giggled, "its this game where you have to yell the word 'penis' increasingly loudly each time," he said, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him. James sighed, "See I'll start. Penis," he whispered, and Lily laughed, "Now you say it louder than I did."

"Penis," Lily said in a louder whisper, and James snickered.

"Penis"

"Penis"

After a few minutes…

"PENIS," James yelled loudly. They were sitting down at the tree, and Lily was clutching her stomach, laughing.

"PENIS!" Lily yelled louder. James was lying on the floor, laughing.

"PENIS!" James screamed, causing birds in the trees in the Forbidden Forest to fly away.

"Okay, okay you win!" Lily choked out, wiping her eyes, which were watering.

"Lily Clare, are you giving up?" James asked, grinning cheekily at her. Lily turned to narrow her eyes at him, before taking a deep breath.

"PEEENIIISSS!" she screamed, and James jumped at the sheer volume of it.

"Careful Evans I think the ice on the black lake cracked," he muttered, and Lily grinned at him.

"I'm going to take that as surrender," she shrugged, and James laughed.

"You, my dear, are diabolical"

"I know," she said happily. They sat in silence for a few minutes, savoring in each other's company, when James suddenly had a white, mushy substance in his face. He spluttered and wiped the snow off his face, to see Lily grinning at him.

"It's on Evans." Lily shrieked and stood up, running away from James, who was gathering snow in his hands. He got up, grinning, and ran after Lily. He threw the snow at her, using his Quidditch aim, hitting her right in the middle of the back. Lily shrieked and reached down, throwing some snow back at James, hitting him in the face, once again. Lily laughed loudly as James had to remove his glasses in order to wipe his face. He picked up another mound of snow and threw it as hard as he could at Lily, who ducked.

Hagrid had chosen that moment to walk out of the Forbidden Forest, and was pelted in the face by a snowball, "Wha' the bloody hell was tha'!" he screamed, rubbing at his face. Lily broke down in peals of laughter and Hagrid's expression warmed when he saw her, "O' it's yeh Lily."

"Actually, James threw the snowball," she grinned, and Hagrids' gaze turned up to look down at James.

"Potter!" Hagrid yelled, "It's on!" Hagrid leaned down to pick up a snowball, which was three times the size of James' due to the size of his hands, and threw it at James, who fell over backwards due to the force at which the snowball had been thrown.

James looked up at Hagrid, wiping his face once again. He grabbed a fistful of snow and through it at Hagrid, hitting him in the head, and grinned. Hagrid picked up another massive snowball and threw it, hitting Sirius, who had just made his way out of the castle, causing him to fall over. Hestia was looking at her boyfriend, lying on the floor, and laughing. Sirius narrowed his eyes at Hagrid, who grinned cheekily.

"Hagrid! That's uncalled for!" Sirius yelled, springing up onto his feet. After a few minutes of intense snowball throwing, Hagrid against the rest of them, Hagrid waved his dustbin-sized hand and walked into his house.

"I have work t'do yeh mangy lot," he yelled, before shutting the door behind him. Lily laughed and then fell over as a snowball hit her in the leg.

"Sirius Black!" she yelled, standing up. Sirius grinned at her cheekily, but then received snow in the face from his girlfriend, who had smushed a whole hand of snow into his face.

"Gotcha!" she said quietly, kissing Sirius on the cheek, before running away from him. The four of them ended up having a full on snowball fight, every man for himself, which lasted for hours and hours. It resulted in Hestia giving up, not wanting her hair to get messed up, and Sirius walking inside with Hestia.

"Whipped," James coughed, and Lily smashed snow in his face, before giggling and running off, "Evans!" he yelled, gathering more snow in his hands and running after her. Finally, James had Lily backed up against the tree, holding a snowball in his raised hand, "surrender!" he commanded.

"Not likely, just do it," Lily said, closing her eyes. She waited for the snow to hit her, but instead, felt James' soft lips on hers. She smiled and felt James' lips curve up too, "if this is what you meant by surrender," Lily chuckled, and James grinned down at her.

"Nah, this is your punishment," he said, backing her up against the tree, "I hate layers," he whined, pulling her scarf off her neck. Lily gasped as the cold air hit her neck, feeling as if icy daggers were now wrapped around instead of her comfortable scarf. James leaned down to kiss Lily gently on her neck, and she shuddered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It's so cold," she whined, and buried her face, nose numb with the cold, into James shoulder. James nodded and wrapped her scarf around her neck again.

"We'll continue this inside," he said happily, and Lily rolled her eyes. He grabbed her hand and dragged her inside the castle, "Oh wait," he said, stopping her. Lily raised her eyebrows at him curiously, and James smirked before turning around to face the empty courtyard.

"PENIS!"

At dinner that night, James and Lily walked into the Great Hall to see an oval table instead of the four house tables. Dumbledore smiled up at them as they entered.

"Come, take a seat!" he said cheerfully, gesturing to the seats around the table where there were about 11 seats, "There are so few of us at Hogwarts it seemed inappropriate to use the large house tables." James shrugged and dragged Lily towards the table. They sat down and were soon joined by Hestia and Sirius, who looked at the table curiously as well, before shrugging and sitting down next to their friends. There were only six students who were there at that time, the other five chairs occupied by teachers; Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Slughorn and Professor Merrythought, the DADA teacher. When two Slytherins walked in, Lily groaned. It was Severus and Avery. Avery took the seat next to her, with a nasty grin to James, and Severus sat at the one next to Slughorn. Lily noticed James tense as Avery took the seat next to her, and she felt her chair move over towards James.

"Tuck in!" Dumbledore said cheerfully, seemingly unaware of James's reaction to Avery, and took a large bite out of a chicken leg. Sirius barked at laugh before devouring his own food. McGonagall looked at Sirius as if he was disgusting, and Sirius, noticing her looking at him, winked at her. Lily chuckled as a faint blush crept on McGonagalls cheeks before she turned back to Dumbledore, engaging him in conversation. Avery had shifted his chair closer to Lily, which didn't go unnoticed by James, Sirius and Severus. Severus turned to glare at Avery who winked at him, and Severus felt his stomach boil.

A little ways through the meal, Remus walked into the Great Hall. Sirius and James yelled happily and ran over to hug their friend, who rolled his eyes and patted his friends on the back. Dumbledore conjured up a chair in between Lily and Avery, and Lily gave him a thankful look, which he acknowledged with a wink. Remus sat down next to Lily and grinned at her.

"Hi Lily!" he said happily.

"Hi Remus!" she said, leaning over to wrap her arms around Remus happily. Remus hugged her back in a brotherly fashion before turning to glare at Avery; Remus didn't like him as much as James because of what Avery had said about Lily. It made him uncomfortable to see Avery so close to Lily, whom he loved like a little sister. James was a lot more relaxed now that Remus was sitting in between Avery and Lily, and started to laugh and joke around with Sirius, who was messing with Slughorn. Sirius pointed his wand at Slughorns noodles, and they turned into worms, causing Slughorn to shriek and jump back from his food. Dumbledore, she noticed, was enjoying watching Sirius torture Slughorn, and was chuckling along with James.

"Oh Horace they're only worms," McGonagall said, biting back a laugh at Slughorns bewildered expression. Slughorn relaxed and pointed his wand at his food, causing them to turn back into noodles, and, much to Lily's disgust, continued to eat them. Sirius blew a kiss to McGonagall, and Lily had to bite back a laugh as McGonagall blushed a shade of pink Lily wasn't aware she was capable of. Once dinner was over, Lily's abdominal muscles were in pain from all the laughing. James grabbed her hand, excusing them from the table, and led her from the Great Hall, Sirius, Hestia and Remus following suite. Dumbledore watched his Head Boy and Girl walk away and felt a pang at what he knew would come in the later years.

The five of them chatted in the Gryffindor Common room for a little while, as there was no one else there, other than few third years that had decided to skip on dinner. When it was late, about one in the morning, Lily and James left to return to their dormitory.

"That was fun," Lily said happily, and James smiled down at her.

"You know what else is fun?" he asked, and Lily looked up at him with a sly grin on her face. James grabbed her hand firmly and started to walk faster. They crossed by the Head's dorm, much to Lily's surprise, and James led them to a nearby broom cupboard, opening the door, "After you m'lady," he said, gesturing to the broom cupboard.

"A broom cupboard. Really James?" James grinned at her and Lily sighed, making her way into the broom cupboard. She spent most of their patrols hunting out people who were snogging in broom cupboards, and now she was committing the crime herself.

"Oh nobody's going to catch us. There's barely anyone in the castle," he said, and Lily sighed, nodding, "Besides, where's your sense of adventure," he said, standing in front of her, closing the door behind him.

The cupboard was small, and Lily found herself pressed up against James even when she was as far away from him as she could possibly be. James grinned down at her, enjoying the lack of space, and Lily rolled her eyes, before putting her hand at the back of his neck and pulling him down to her.

Lily woke up the next morning, finding herself on the sofa. James' arms were wrapped around her and she felt her heart beat quicken. She looked down quickly checking to make sure that they were both fully clothed, and breathed a sigh of relief. The events of the previous night came flooding back to her and Lily felt her cheeks heat up. They had spent over an hour in the broom cupboard, and had made their way back, only to continue in their common room. James wasn't wearing a shirt, and she smiled, knowing it was her doing. She tried to unwrap James' arms from around her, but he groaned in his sleep, wrapping his arms around her tighter. Lily sighed. There was no way she was getting free until James woke up, and even then she probably wouldn't be free. She stretched her arms up over her head, working out the knots in her back which came along with sleeping on a couch, and suddenly felt James lips pressed against her.

"Morning," she chuckled once they had separated. James smiled, his eyes still closed.

"Morning to you too"

"James can you please let go?" she asked, and James, predictably, shook his head.

"What will you give me in return?" he asked cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"How about another adventure to the broom cupboard," he said, opening his eyes to look down at Lily's blushing face.

"Fine," she sighed, and James grinned, before releasing her.

"Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it Evans"

"When did I say that?" she grinned, before sauntering off to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. She summoned her clothes from her room, not bothering to walk all the way up to get them, and shut the door behind her. James walked into the bathroom to get his glasses, which he had left in there the previous night. Before leaving the bathroom, he wrote 'I love you Lils' on the mirror, and then closed the door behind him. Lily smiled at the note when she got out of the shower, and then felt her stomach flip, realizing James had been standing in there while she had been naked. She pulled on her clothes, dark jeans and a jumper, before tying up her wet hair and walking out of the bathroom.

"Hey," James said, sitting on the sofa reading a book. Lily walked over to look at the book he was reading, and realized it was the book on how to charm witches that Sirius had given him.

"Nice," she said, before flopping down next to him, and James grinned at her before closing the book, putting it down on the coffee table.

"Jealous Lilykins?"

"Since when do you call me Lilykins?" James shrugged and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You do know I hate you hair tied up," James said, reaching behind her.

"No but it's all wet!" she whined, putting her hands on her bun, "if you let it down my clothes will get all wet!" James grinned and pointed his wand at her hair, drying it instantly.

"Some witch you are," he chuckled, pulling the hair tie out of her hair. Lily blushed. She hadn't thought of that. She felt so stupid. James leaned forward and kissed her on her blushing cheek before standing up, holding his hand out to her, "Breakfast?"

"Food!" Lily squealed, and James laughed.

"C'mon Padfoot," he said sarcastically, and Lily grinned up at him. When they got down to the Great Hall, it was to see the oval table once more. Sirius, Hestia and Remus were already seated. When they entered the Great Hall, Sirius grinned up at them.

"Prongsie! Lily-flower!" he yelled, and Lily laughed, sitting down next to Remus, with James on her other side, not wanting Avery to sit next to her again. Breakfast was uneventful as they couldn't talk, since the teachers were there, but after breakfast, Hestia grabbed Lily's arm.

"You boys can go bond today, we're going to hang out," Hestia said, nose in the air, dragging Lily out of the Great Hall, much to the amusement of all the teachers.

"Lily! Don't leave me with them!" Remus yelled after them, ignoring the protests from both James and Sirius.

"Sorry Remus!" they heard Lily yell, and Remus chuckled, turning back to his food. Severus was looking in the direction Lily had vanished, wondering what would happen if he yelled after her. Black would curse him, no doubt. Avery would look at him weirdly. Potter would look anywhere but at him. And the teachers would react weirdly. It was settled then, he wasn't going to yell after her. Severus looked down at his food miserably, suddenly losing his ravenous appetite.

"So what are us Marauders going to do today?" Sirius asked happily, draping his arms around both James and Remus's shoulders.

"We should probably do our work," Remus suggested, looking at Sirius with narrowed eyes.

"Where's the fun in that?" Sirius scoffed and Remus rolled his eyes.

"I say we do something Marauderish," Sirius declared.

"Marauderish?" James smirked

"Yes Marauderish"

"Alright Pads what do you want to do?" James sighed, sitting down at the base of their favorite tree.

"Let's irritate Snivellus," Sirius said happily, and James sighed.

"What did you have in mind?" Remus asked curiously.

"I was thinking, shampoo bottles chasing after him yelling 'wash your hair you greasy slimeball'" James and Remus snorted.

"Not a bad idea Pads," James said, smiling at Sirius. At least it was a harmless prank.

"Yay! Let's go then."

Back up in the Heads dorm, Hestia and Lily were getting their work done whilst gossiping. It was both enjoyable and productive.

"So what did you and James do after you left last night?" Hestia asked, smiling at Lily.

"Well, we went to a broom cupboard," Lily blushed, and she heard Hestia squeal.

"A broom cupboard? Really? How was it?" she asked, leaning forward, and Lily blushed harder.

"I like broom cupboards," Lily muttered, and Hestia laughed. Just then, the door swung open and Alice walked in, Frank by her side.

"Alice!" Hestia and Lily squealed, launching themselves at Alice.

"Hi Frank!" Lily said happily, hugging Frank, who hugged her back happily.

"How was Franks house?" Hestia asked, looking at Alice.

"It was great," Alice said, smiling up at Frank, who grinned down at her with a wink.

"I'll go now. I have to do work. See you later," he said, leaning down to kiss Alice, before walking out of the dorm. Lily, noticing Alice's blush, raised her eyebrows.

"What happened?"

"We had sex," Alice blurted out, and then clapped her hand over her mouth.

"You had WHAT?" Hestia yelled, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Sex Hestia," Lily said, grinning at Alice, who blushed.

"And?" Hestia said, adding way too many syllables to the word.

"It was nice?" Alice squeaked, and Lily laughed, "but his mum is _terrible_!" she whined, flopping down onto the sofa.

"I didn't know you were allowed to sleep with his mum!" Hestia said and Alice threw a cushion at her while Lily laughed, "Details woman!" Hestia squealed, sitting down next to Alice, while Lily sat on the floor.

That's how the three Marauders and Frank found the girls three hours later. Alice squealed and ran to hug James, Sirius and Remus.

"How was your break?" Remus asked politely.

"It was satisfactory," Hestia said from by the couch, her and Lily breaking down in a fit of giggles, while Alice and Frank blushed.

"Am I missing something?" Remus asked confusedly, looking at James and Sirius who shrugged, feeling just as clueless.

"Nothing's _up_ don't worry about it," Hestia said, causing the two of them to break down into another fit of giggles. Alice turned to narrow her eyes at her friends, trying not to laugh, before reaching out to grab Franks hand, and dragging him from the room.

"Gosh, way to engorge the problem," Hestia snorted, but Lily shook her head.

"That sucked Hest," she said, and then, realizing what she'd said, the two burst into laughter once more.

"It's hard okay!"

"Oh come now"

"Keep your pants on!"

"Don't push it"

The girls' innuendos went on for another twenty minutes, while the three Marauders watched them, amused, catching onto the sex puns, "Why are you making innuendos?" Sirius asked, sitting down behind Hestia and wrapping his arms around her.

"Frank and Alice had sex?" Remus squeaked, catching on faster than his other two friends.

"They WHAT?" James asked, sitting down next to Lily and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Had sex James. Sex," Hestia said, adding a few more syllables on the word sex, and James turned pink.

"I heard you the first time"

"I know," Hestia winked, and James blushed again. They sat around for a while, talking, when McGonagall walked into the room.

"Mr. Lupin you need to come with me, your aunt is sick," she said, and Lily looked over at Remus, knowing completely well that his aunt was not sick. Remus got up and followed McGonagall out, with a smile to everyone. She looked out the window to see it was dark, and shuddered, knowing how much pain Remus would be in, in a matter of minutes.

"I hope she gets better!" Hestia yelled after him, still clueless. Lily saw Sirius and James look at each other, before they stood up simultaneously.

"We're going to go now," Sirius said, walking out of the dormitory. Lily frowned up at James.

"Why?"

"We get worried?" James said, before following his Sirius out.

"That was odd," muttered Hestia, "I think I'm going to go to bed now," Hestia said, stretching.

"You mean you're going to go tease Alice?"

"Obviously," Hestia winked, and Lily laughed, "See you in the morning Lils!" Lily sighed as the door closed behind Hestia, suddenly feeling alone. She noticed a piece of parchment on the floor where James had been sitting and leaned over to pick it up.

"Prongs mate let's go!" Sirius muttered, standing up.

"I must've left the map in the dorm," James muttered as he searched his pockets.

"No worries we have the cloak. How are we going to get in without Wormtail?"

"No worries lads I'm here," Peter said, walking in quickly and dumping his trunk on the floor, "I got back when I realized what day it was today."

"Wormy you are a life saver!" Sirius grinned, patting his friend on the back, "Shall we?" The three of them walked out of the castle, James and Sirius under the invisibility cloak following the rat, and made their way to the Whomping Willow.

"Wow," Lily muttered as she looked through the map. It was amazing. She hadn't thought the Marauders were that talented. She opened the map up fully, looking for James and Sirius in their dorm, but they weren't there, "That's odd," she muttered, searching the map for their names. When she was about to give up, she noticed James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew heading towards the Whomping Willow. She felt her stomach sink as she realized they were going to follow Remus, "I have to do something!" she muttered to no one in particular, and jumped up, running through the corridors of the castle, map in hand. She reached the Whomping Willow and saw James and Sirius appear, James hiding something shimmery in his pocket.

"Wormy hurry up!" Sirius whined, looking around nervously. Lily was hiding behind a wall of the castle. Who was he talking to? Suddenly the branches of the tree stopped moving, and Lily looked down to see a rat, "Nice going Wormy!" Sirius said, and Lily felt her stomach drop.

"No," she muttered to herself as the rat ran down the passage. Wormtail. Were their nicknames literal?

"Let's go Prongs!" Sirius said, and Lily watched transfixed, as Sirius disappeared, and in his place stood a large black dog. She watched as it barked, before entering the tunnel, and felt her stomach drop again. Sirius was an Animagus. Illegal at that too; she had looked through the records. Peter must have been one as well. She turned to look at James with pain in her eyes. James shook his head and suddenly, in his place, Lily saw a stag. She felt her anger flare up.

How could she have been so stupid? Why would you nickname someone by their patronus? Why were they so stupid? Didn't they realize the dangers and risks of being an illegal Animagus? What was the point of being one anyway? She felt her stomach drop as she remembered what was on the other side of the tunnel. Remus. They had turned into illegal Animagi, and ran around with a werewolf once a month? IDIOTS.

She stood there for a long while, and then panicked as she heard a noise, a howling, coming from the tunnel. The dog came out first, followed by the rat, and then the stag. And to Lily's fright, then came the werewolf. She had never seen a werewolf up close before. It was tall and skinny, with beady eyes and a long snout. It was also standing on two legs, with long nails and large feet. The werewolf was sniffing around, Lily noticing how long its teeth were, and it's eyes seemed to narrow in, in the direction Lily was standing. She felt her heart speed up as she heard the howl escape the werewolf's mouth. It started to run in her direction, but was blocked by the stag, which was herding it towards the forbidden forest. The dog started barking and running around the wolf, which diverted its attention to the dog. The dog, Lily couldn't refer to it as Sirius, ran towards the forbidden forest, and with a howl, the wolf followed after it. Lily faintly saw the rat scurrying out of sight, and turned to see the stag, looking around cautiously, as if wondering what had diverted the wolfs attention.

The stag made its way to where Lily was standing, and she saw it jump as it saw her. She looked into its eyes and saw James through the stags' small eyes. The stag took a step towards her and she shook her head at it, taking a step back. There was a loud whine from the forest, and the stag, which had been taking a cautious step towards her, snapped its head in that direction, before cantering off in that direction.

Lily, without thinking, followed the stag, wanting to know if Sirius was okay. She ran into the forest after the stag, and then came to a stop when she found herself in pitch-blackness. She panicked. She loved Remus as a brother, but she didn't fancy meeting him as a werewolf. She turned around to run out in the other direction, but jumped as a twig snapped behind her. She turned to see the stag standing there, with a large slash on its face. Prongs. She looked at it tearfully, not knowing what to say. She still loved James, and it was because of this love that she was so angry with him.

She took a step towards it and touched the gash gently, pulling out her wand and healing it. The stag lowered its head and started to herd her out of the forest, and she felt a chuckle escape her. It was definitely James. Once she was out of the forest, the stag continued to herd her.

"Alright James enough," she said, turning around, "I'll talk to you later," she said in a cold voice, and she saw the panic in the stag's, James's, eyes. Without another word, she turned around and ran into the castle, getting away from James as fast as she could. She ran all the way up to her dorm, ignoring the portraits yelling at her about what time it was and to stop making so much noise. She had to yell the password at the portrait several times before it woke up and groggily opened up for her. She ran inside and fell onto the armchair, before bursting into tears.

She pulled out the map, wiping her eyes, and looked at the forbidden forest. James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin were making their way back to the Whomping Willow, James in the rear. She watched as Remus Lupin disappeared down the tunnel, followed by the other three.

She watched until they came out, and when they entered the castle, she realized Remus must have transformed back. She watched as they dropped him off at the hospital wing, and as James, Sirius and Peter walked out. She felt her stomach squeeze as she realized she was going to have to face James soon. She felt her tears well up again as she thought of what she was going to have to say to him. She saw Peter leave the other two, and as James and Sirius stood in the hallway for a long time, talking, she assumed. She saw Sirius walk up the stairs, and James started to run towards their dormitory. When he was outside the portrait, she placed the map down on the table and wiped her eyes.

James pushed the portrait hole open cautiously, and caught sight of Lily sitting in the armchair. She felt her stomach pang as she saw fresh cuts on his arms. Despite herself, she walked over and healed the cuts, not looking at James' face, before turning around and walking towards her staircase, but was stopped by James' hand around her wrist.

"Lils"

"No James," she said, turning around and looking up at him, to see the hurt in his eyes, "No," she turned around but James grabbed her again, turning her around.

"Lily," he said, but she shook her head.

"No! Leave me alone!" she yelled, pulling her arm out of James' grasp, "I cant do this," she said quietly, her tears escaping her eyes. She saw James shake his head from side to side quickly, tears escaping his own eyes.

"Lily, please don't do this," he pleaded, walking over to her, his voice choked. It broke her heart to see him cry, and all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him, but she restrained herself.

"You lied to me! You've been running around with a bloody werewolf! I love Remus, and I hate what's happening to him, but I'm sorry, werewolves are dangerous! And becoming an illegal Animagus? Do you even _know _the consequences of that? How could you be so stupid?" She yelled at him, getting all of it off her chest. James looked down at the floor dejectedly

"Lily we were helping a friend," he said quietly, and Lily shook her head.

"Helping a friend is sitting by his bedside and helping drink his potions! Helping a friend is _not _risking Azkaban!" she screamed, her voice jumping octaves, and she saw James flinch at her words.

"So you're angry because I'm an Animagus?"

"No," she said, and James' head snapped up, surprised, "I'm angry because you lied to me. I'm angry because you didn't trust me enough to tell me that you were off with Remus, and instead told me some _stupid _lie about Sirius being a baby. What if something had happened? What if they found the body of a stag, a dog and a rat, and then I couldn't find you?" she screamed, tears falling down her face rapidly at the thought. She couldn't bear the idea of James hurt, let alone dead. She couldn't imagine a world without James.

"Lils," James said quietly, taking a step towards her, and taking her hand.

"No Potter!" she screamed, and James felt his heart drop as she called him Potter.

"Potter?" he said in a quiet, pained voice.

"Yes Potter! Just stay out of my way," she said, pulling her hand out of James'.

"Lily, please don't do this!" James pleaded in a husky voice, his throat constricted. He couldn't believe this was happening. It couldn't be happening.

"It's Evans," she said coldly, and James felt a few tears escape his eyes, but he didn't bother to wipe them away. James grabbed her around the waist and kissed her, fighting for her. He could not lose her. He just couldn't. Lily instinctually put her arms around his neck, but then, remembering the circumstances, she dropped her arms, and stopped kissing her back, feeling her heart break in her chest. James continued to kiss her, and reached down for her hands, placing them around his neck.

"Lils, Lily please, kiss me back," he said. Lily didn't react, except for a sob escaped her. James, giving up on kissing her, bent down to kiss her jaw, her neck, her shoulder, but it was no use. A waterfall was falling down Lily's face, and she reached up to wipe the tears away, "Lily, please!" James yelled, sobbing.

Lily looked down at the floor, closing her eyes to draw the courage to do this. She was slowly breaking her own heart. James, realizing what she was going to do, put his hand over her mouth, and a finger under her chin, and drew her chin so he could look in those eyes again. He saw his own pain reflected in her eyes, and Lily watched as realization flooded James' eyes.

"It's over James."


	15. Falling Apart

**Hello! Firstly, please don't kill me! It couldn't all be butterflies and rainbows, they're teenagers. And being one, tempers do fly. Anyway, I hope you still like the story. It will get better (obviously considering we all know what happens) just be patient. Happy fanficcing! (:**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned it, but I don't**

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_**Previously:**_

_Lily looked down at the floor, closing her eyes to draw the courage to do this. She was slowly breaking her own heart. James, realizing what she was going to do, put his hand over her mouth, and a finger under her chin, and drew her chin so he could look in those eyes again. He saw his own pain reflected in her eyes, and Lily watched as realization flooded James' eyes._

"_It's over James."_

_

* * *

_

If you had asked her, Lily could tell you exactly when the time changed from 5:59 to 6:00 in the morning. She had been up the whole night, staring at the clock, unable to fall asleep. She had collapsed in the same clothes she had been wearing the previous day during their snowball fight. There was a whole day until school started. A whole day of not being with James. She broke out of her reverie, and turned back to the clock, it was 6:01am. She sighed and pushed herself off the bed, her face still wet from tears that had been running down them the whole night. She felt more tears flow down slowly, and wiped them away quickly. She walked down to the bathroom, looking around cautiously to make sure James wasn't there, and went in for a shower, unaware of which water on her face was from the shower, and which was tears.

* * *

James heard the sound of a shower, and buried his face in his pillow. He hadn't slept. He had sat in his bed, staring at a spot on the wall, watching as it went in and out of focus as he cried. He had finally gotten the girl of his dreams, and he had lost her. The snowball fight and the penis game seemed so long ago. He closed his eyes, remembering Lily's laughter, and Lily's smile, and Lily's kisses. He wiped his eyes, wondering what he was going to do the whole day. At least if there had been school, he could have hidden behind textbooks the whole day. The sound of the shower stopped and James walked down the stairs to get his bag, wanting to get a glimpse of her.

* * *

Lily opened the door, dressed in dark jeans, a black tank top and a light blue jacket, her hair tied in a miserable bun on top of her head. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy from the crying, but she doubted that look would go away for a long time. She sighed and pulled the door open, to see James by his desk. He froze when the door opened and turned to look at her.

_Why does she have to look so beautiful? _He asked himself, looking hungrily from her jeans, to her hair, to her face. Her eyes, he noticed, were bloodshot and puffy, as if she too had been crying the whole night. Lily looked at James' red eyes and bit back a sob. He was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing when he'd come back to their dorm the previous night. They stood there for a while, looking at each other, when Lily shook her head.

"Morning Potter," she said quietly, and James felt his heart break as he noticed she was not wearing the locket he had given her. Lily had left it on her dresser, and had cried as she took it off. Feeling the waterworks spring up again, James grabbed his school bag and made his way up the stairs. He had decided to bury himself in textbooks to distract him, but nothing could distract him from the heart shattering pain. Lily made her way downstairs to the Great Hall, tears spilling down her face once again, but she didn't notice. When she made it to the doors leading to the Great Hall, she wiped her face before walking in. She saw Sirius, Peter and Hestia had already arrived. Remus was probably still in the hospital wing. She felt a pang as she remembered the werewolf, the dog, the rat, and the stag.

"LILY-FLOWER!" Sirius bellowed, and Lily felt a tug at her navel, "Where's Prongsie?" he asked cheerfully. Lily ignored him, and sat down next to Peter. Hestia took one look at Lily and turned to Sirius, silencing him with a glance. Severus, who had arrived with Avery before the Gryffindors, looked at Lily with a worried expression. He had seen that expression before; it meant her world was falling apart. Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers were watching Lily with curious expressions, but Lily ignored them, staring at her empty plate. She took her hair down, and held back a sob as she remembered the amount of times James had done that. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Alice standing over her, holding her hand out. Lily looked down at it and took it silently. Alice pulled her off the seat, and Hestia got off her seat, walking over to Lily.

"Lils?" Hestia said quietly, putting her arm around Lily's shoulders delicately, and Lily burst into tears at the use of that nickname. Sirius, Peter, Frank, and the teachers stood up as Lily burst into tears; none of them had ever seen her cry. Severus felt his throat clog as he realized the only thing that could make her cry like this; Potter. Sirius walked over to Lily and put his arms comfortingly around her shoulders, and Lily wound her arms around Sirius' neck, crying into his shoulders.

"Lily what's wrong?" Alice said worriedly, stroking Lily's hair gently. Hestia, who was looking nauseous, paled, as she realized Lily would only cry over one thing like this; James. Peter and Frank stood awkwardly around Sirius and Lily, as Hestia and Alice comforted Lily by stroking her hair. Lily cried into Sirius' shoulder, crying because these weren't the arms she wanted wrapped around her.

"Everyone, out," Dumbledore said quietly, and the teachers filed out, along with the rest of the students who weren't involved, except Severus, who stayed behind as Dumbledore walked out.

"Lily," Severus said, taking a step towards her.

"Go away Snivellus," Peter said, attempting to be nasty, but his voice was coated in worry as he watched Lily cry. Severus ignored Peter and walked over to Lily. Sirius let go of Lily, and stepped in front of her protectively, glaring at Snape. Severus ignored him as well and pushed around him, getting to Lily, earning him glares from everyone.

"Lily, what happened with you and Potter?" Severus said quietly. He heard the sharp intake of breath from everyone except Hestia, who had gotten there earlier. Lily shook her head and Severus put his hand consolingly on her shoulder, but she shook it off.

"Go away," she choked, and Severus, head hanging, walked out of the room. He turned as he saw her launch herself back into Black's arms, and walked down the hallway to his common room.

"Lily, did you break up?" Hestia said gently. Sirius' face paled as Lily continued to cry, and he let go of her, handing her to Hestia.

_Prongs. _Sirius ran out of the Great Hall and up to the Head's dorm_. _He told the password to the portrait, who nodded dejectedly, and the door opened. He ran up the stairs to James' room to see James, sitting on the bed, holding the sphere Lily had given him in his hands. As Sirius watched, James put it aside, and pulled out his secret photo album that was filled with pictures of Lily. Sirius walked in, and James head snapped up. Sirius held his hand out, and James took it, letting Sirius pull him out of bed. Sirius saw his best mate still wearing the clothes from last night. One look at James' face, and Sirius knew that him and Lily had broken up. James started to cry again, and Sirius sat with James, holding his head, as James cried, and cried, and cried.

* * *

"Lily, what happened?" Alice asked soothingly, now in Lily's old dormitory. Frank and Peter had gone to the hospital wing to tell Remus what had happened. Lily shook her head. She wasn't going to tell the Animagus secret to anyone. It wasn't her secret. She only knew one person she could talk to about this.

"I…need…her," she choked out.

"Who Lils?" Hestia said quietly.

"Don't call me that!" Lily cried, and Hestia bit her lip, realizing her mistake. It was the names James called her

"You could apparate to her," Alice said quietly. She wasn't sure who Lily wanted, but if she wanted someone so bad, she should go. Lily nodded, sobbing, and got up. She ran out of the dormitory, not bothering to apologize to Hestia and Alice, who understood, and ran to Dumbledore's office.

* * *

Hestia and Alice walked to the Heads dorm, wanting to see James. They walked up James' staircase, to see James sobbing on the floor, and Sirius sitting next to him, tears in his eyes as well. Hestia bit her lip and walked over to sit on the other side of James. James, shocked to see Alice and Hestia, looked up at them. Alice felt a lump rise in her throat at the sight of him, puffy eyed and broken. She sat down on front of James.

"What are you doing here?" James croaked out, and Hestia took his hand in hers.

"We came to see how you were," she said gently, and James nodded, feeling more tears flood out of his eyes.

"Where's Li-she. Where's she?" he asked, unable to say her name. Even the reference to her was too much to take, and he felt a sob escape him, causing his whole frame to shatter.

"She left," Alice said quietly, and James' head snapped up to look at her.

"Left?" he said quietly.

"She needed to see…someone," Alice said, and James nodded.

"She's crushed too James," Hestia said quietly. James hung his head and continued to cry.

"Then why?" he sobbed. That was a question neither of the girls had an answer to.

"She said she couldn't do it," Alice said. James, knowing exactly what Lily had been referring to, nodded, and continued to cry. Sirius stood up quickly, and ran out of the dorm, trusting Hestia enough to be with James. He ran out of the dorm to Dumbledore's office. He threw the door open to see Lily standing in the fireplace, holding Floo Powder. Lily took one look at him before throwing the powder and vanishing.

"Where is she going?" Sirius asked Dumbledore, who looked somber.

"Privet Drive"

* * *

Lily found herself in a neat living room, which looked too clean. There were pictures along the mantelpiece and she saw a doorway across the room. She walked to the doorway, and found herself in a narrow hallway. There was a staircase to her right, and underneath it, a small cupboard. Straight ahead, she saw a kitchen. She walked towards it and pushed the door open to see a neat kitchen, with a table for four in the middle. Petunia wasn't in there. She ran up back into the hallway and ran up the stairs. She pushed open two doors, to see two empty rooms with cream walls, and then a third to see the master bedroom. She saw Petunia, sitting on the bed, and watching television. Petunia jumped as the door opened and her eyes widened as she saw who it was.

"Lily?" she asked breathlessly, getting off the bed and walking over to her sister, "Lily, what's happened?" Lily started to cry again, and Petunia wrapped her arms around her little sister, telling her repeatedly that it was going to be okay.

"I didn't mean to disturb," Lily choked out, and Petunia shook her head, brushing Lily's hair out of her face.

"Vernon's not here," Petunia said quietly, realizing the reason for her sisters' discomfort. Lily nodded and Petunia grabbed her hand, leading her to the bed, "Speak."

* * *

"What's in Privet Drive?" Sirius asked, barging into the hospital wing, where Remus was sitting by himself.

"I'm sorry?" Remus asked bewildered.

"Privet Drive. Lily went there right now after Hestia and Alice tried to comfort her about _it,_" Sirius said. Remus blinked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Remus said truthfully.

"Didn't Wormtail and Frank come here?"

"No…" Remus said.

"Lily and James broke up," Sirius said, running a hand through his hair, and he saw Remus' jaw drop.

"WHAT? WHY?" he yelled, and Sirius sighed.

"Lily is upset with James about the Animagus thing. Apparently she doesn't care about the actual Animagus thing itself, but the fact that she didn't know, and if James had gotten killed, she wouldn't have known anything," Sirius groaned. He saw Remus nod, "Don't tell me you agree with her?" Sirius gasped, and Remus shrugged.

"I didn't like the idea either to be honest. I was always worried about what would happen if I killed one of you. Nobody would ever find out what happened," Remus said quietly, and Sirius nodded, "Lily's right to be worried. But I don't understand why she broke it off," he said, and Sirius sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "How's James?" Remus asked softly.

"He's a mess," Sirius said in a choked voice.

"Bring him here," Remus said, and Sirius nodded, getting off the bed and heading towards the Heads dorm. He ran in to see Hestia and Alice downstairs.

"Why aren't you up there?" Sirius asked, jerking his head in the direction of James' room.

"We got him to go for a shower," Alice said, and Sirius nodded gratefully, "They help me calm down"

"Thank you," Sirius said quietly to Alice. Hestia got up and walked over to Sirius, pulling him into a hug. Sirius hugged her back tightly, burying his face in her shoulder.

"How are _you_?" Hestia said quietly into his ear. Sirius shook his head and Hestia rubbed his back soothingly, "It'll be okay. I've never seen Lily like this," she choked, and Sirius felt his throat clog at the sound of Hestia upset.

"How are _you?_" he asked, pulling back so he could see her face. Hestia smiled at the question he had stolen from her, and then shook her head sadly.

"I want this to finish," she said softly, "I want them to stop being upset. I want them to get back together. Like yesterday," she choked, and Sirius kissed her on the forehead. When James came out of the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a jumper, his hair still wet, Sirius walked over to him.

"C'mon," he said, and James walked, not caring where Sirius was taking him, why Sirius was taking him away. He didn't care about anything. He looked in the direction of Lily's staircase, and sighed before walking out of the door. He looked down at his wrist and felt his throat clog. He still had Lily's hair-tie from when he'd pulled it out of her hair the morning before. He took it off his wrist and put it in his pocket, not wanting to ever lose it like he'd lost Lily.

* * *

"So you dumped him?" Petunia asked bluntly, looking at her crying sister, "Why? I'm going to need the whole story so I can help you fix it," Petunia said, brushing her sister's hair out of her eyes. Lily took a deep breath before looking up at Petunia.

"He was an illegal Animagus, and he was running around with a werewolf and I didn't know," Lily said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Petunia said, and Lily laughed. She hadn't thought she was going to be able to laugh, but here her sister was, making her laugh. Petunia smiled slightly at the carefree tone of her sister.

"An Animagus is a person who can change their form into an animal of their choice. It's really risky business and if you do it without authorization then you could get sent to prison. He was an illegal Animagus"

"Cool what animal?"

"Tuney!"

"What I'm curious!"

"A stag"

"Hot," Petunia said, and Lily chuckled before continuing. This is what sisters were supposed to be like, and she was glad she could do this at least once before she lost Tuney.

"Our friend is a werewolf, I'm guessing you know what that is, and _he _was running around in his animal form, along with his three other friends, entertaining the werewolf"

"Isn't that dangerous?" Petunia asked, and Lily nodded vigorously, "What if something had happened?"

"Exactly my point! What if he had died? I didn't know anything about this. He _lied _to me about it. He could have died in his animal form and nobody would have ever known what had happened, and I would have lost him!" Lily shrieked, and Petunia nodded.

"So you're angry because he lied to you and you were worried," Petunia said soothingly, and Lily felt tears escape her eyes, "You can't trust him"

"No, I cant"

"But you love him," Petunia said, rubbing Lily's hand.

"Yes, I do," sobbed Lily.

"Then I don't have anything else to say," Petunia said gently, "I saw you two together at my wedding. He loves you Lily. And you love him. Don't let this break you two apart. As much as it pains me to say it, I need you to go to him. I'm not going to see you after this, and I need to know someone will look after you," Petunia whispered.

"Why can't I see you?" Lily asked tearfully.

"Because we live in different worlds Lily. And as much as I want to stay with you, this has to be goodbye," Petunia said, kissing her sister on the forehead. Lily nodded tearfully, and hugged her sister goodbye.

"Thank you Tuney"

"Send me a note when you get together so I can relax alright?" Petunia said, "I'll miss you. Bye." There was a pop, and Lily was gone.

She landed in Hogsmeade and looked up at the castle. She felt a pang, realizing the last time she'd done this, James had been by her side, holding her hand. She wrapped her jacket more firmly around her and made her way up to the castle. She walked in and, unable to go to the dorm and be around people, she walked to the Quidditch Pitch, and sat in the stands.

* * *

"James, talk to her mate," Remus said gently. He had finally been released from the hospital wing after a whole day of sitting in there listening to James' emotions range from sadness, to grief, to dementia, to anger, to rage, and back to grief.

"She doesn't want to talk to me," James groaned, running his hand through his already messy hair. Sirius and Remus sighed; it was as if they were back to before the two had dated.

"Well then she's absolutely idiotic," Sirius declared, and James turned to glare at him, which Sirius ignored.

"I need to fly," James said, messing up his hair. He summoned his new broom and walked to the Quidditch Pitch. Without looking around, he hopped on his broom and felt the familiar sensation as he shot off the ground, and a smile spread across his face.

Lily watched as James flew around and watched the smile spread across his face, feeling it warm her heart. Whenever he was happy, she was happy. James finally turned towards the stands, and almost fell off his broom as he saw Lily there. Lily looked up at James, before running off the stands. James flew down to hover in front of her, noticing the tears flowing down her cheeks. He dismounted his broom and walked over to her slowly, running his hands through his hair nervously. Lily wiped her face, looking anywhere but at James. He stopped in front of her, too close. Realizing his mistake, he took a step away, feeling as if the space in between them was going to rip him apart. It was physically hurting him to stand this far away from her.

"Hi," he said quietly.

"Hey," Lily breathed back, looking at the floor.

"Can we talk?" he asked, looking up at her, a pained look in his eyes. Lily looked up at him, and opened her mouth to say something, when a voice yelled 'James!'

They turned, both of them irritated, to see Marlene McKinnon, the Gryffindor beater, a fourth year, running up to them, "James I'm so glad I caught you," Marlene said, breathing heavily as if she had just run a mile, "Hi Lily!" she said happily. Marlene had always idolized Lily in a way.

"Hi Marlene," Lily said back in a friendly voice, but James could hear just how close she was to breaking, "I'm going to go now, hope you had a lovely break," Lily said, before turning towards the castle. James tried to catch her eye, but that didn't work, and was pulled back to reality by Marlene, who asked him about Quidditch.

Once Lily entered the castle, she started running. She ran up the marble staircases to the Heads dorm. Remus and Sirius, who had been on their way up to Gryffindor Tower, saw a flash of red as Lily ran by them. Remus ran after her, and followed her into the Heads dorm. Remus followed in after her, Lily completely oblivious to the fact that Remus was there, and watched as Lily Evans, the most composed person he had ever met, crumpled in a heap on the floor in the middle of the common room, going to tears.

"Lily," he said gently, sitting down next to Lily, who jumped.

"Oh, Remus, it's you," she croaked, wiping at her face. Remus put his arms around her shoulders and helped her up, leading her to the sofa, "how are you feeling?" she asked numbly.

"I'm fine, how are you?" he asked concerned. Lily sniffed and shook her head, a response Remus had been getting a lot from people that day, "Why?" he asked quietly, and Lily didn't need any explanation as to what he was asking.

"He's so stupid," she said, tears falling from her eyes, again. Remus nodded, rubbing her shoulder, waiting for her to continue, "What if he had died? What if any of them died? I'm not blaming you!" she said quickly, turning to Remus, who chuckled.

"I know, continue," he said, and Lily hiccoughed, before continuing.

"Well, it's dangerous! What if they _had _died? Any of them? I'm not only upset at _him_, but Peter and Sirius as well. But they're not my business. I couldn't handle it if anything happened to them, let alone _him. _Apparently, I can't even look at him with a cut on his face, as a bloody stag, without trying to fix it! What would I do if he got seriously hurt? What if he died?" she choked on the last word, sobbing now. Remus rubbed circles on her back, waiting for her to calm down.

"I agree with you," he said quietly, and Lily's head snapped up to look at her, "I urged them not to do it. I didn't want anything to happen to them, still don't. I hate the idea of no one knowing what they're doing," he took a deep breath, "But I am grateful for it. They make my transformations less painful, knowing I'll have my friends around. They make my wolf thoughts more…human, in a way," he said, and Lily found herself paying attention, "I'm able to think clearly, be myself, know what's happening. I'm able to have fun and enjoy myself. That is, until I smell a human," he said quietly. Lily flushed, "I'm guessing it was you I smelt last night?" he asked, and Lily nodded, "that was really stupid of you by the way," he said, and he was relieved to see Lily chuckle.

"I know. But I saw what was happening on the map, and, I, I had to," she trailed off, and she saw Remus nod in understanding.

"I get it Lily. It's dangerous. But think of it from James' point of view," Lily flinched as Remus said his name, but Remus continued, pretending he hadn't seen that, "He cares very deeply for people. And he worries about me. Constantly. Its quite irritating to be honest," he added, and Lily smiled a watery smile.

"I know the feeling," she muttered, and Remus grinned.

"It makes him feel better, to be there, to be with me during that horrible time, to carry me to the hospital wing after its over"

"I'm not mad at him about the Animagus thing," she said, and Remus raised his eyebrows.

"I thought that's what the problem was"

"No! Merlin no! I think it's pretty cool actually, despite the Azkaban thing, which, let's face it, nobody's going to catch them, and if they do, they'll just charm their way out of it," she rolled her eyes, and Remus chuckled, "I'm mad because he didn't trust me enough to tell me, and felt like he had to _lie _to me. Can you see where I'm coming from?" she pleaded, and Remus nodded.

"Absolutely," he smiled, and Lily raised her eyebrows, and Remus sighed, "I'm glad it's not the Animagus thing. I was pretty put out with you for not liking the Animagus thing," he said honestly, "But your reason makes complete sense. I'd want to know if the person I loved was running around risking their life every month. I'd want to know about everything. I'd want to be trusted," he nodded, and Lily nodded.

"Exactly!"

"I think Sirius is under the impression that it's the Animagus thing," Remus chuckled, and Lily paled, imagining how put out Sirius must have been with her, "Don't worry, I'll tell him," Remus said gently, and Lily nodded, reassured, "I think you should talk to James," Remus said quietly, and Lily turned to look at him with watery eyes, afraid.

"I can't Remus. It kills me to even look at him right now," she choked out.

"That's why you have to talk to him. The last time I saw James this broken was after Alissa died," he said, and Lily nodded, rubbing her eyes. Just then, the door opened and James walked in, followed by Sirius.

"Oh," Sirius said.

"C'mon," Remus said, grabbing Sirius and turning around. Seriously, his friend needed a lesson in tact.

"What? Why?" Sirius said, and Remus rolled his eyes. He pulled Sirius out of the door, closing it behind him, leaving Lily and James inside together.

"Can we talk?" James asked quietly, looking up at Lily's frozen form, still sitting where Remus had left her. Lily nodded and James felt a glimmer of hope as he sat down on the armchair, instead of on the sofa next to her. He looked at her. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were red, bloodshot and puffy. Her hair was on her shoulders, sticking up in some places. He let his eyes feast on her before shaking out of his stupor.

"So," he said awkwardly, and he saw the ghost of a smile appear on Lily's face.

"Yes?"

"Please," James breathed, and Lily snapped her head to look at him. James saw Lily's bewildered expression and stood up, not wanting to cause her pain, "Is this it?" he whispered. Lily shook her head a fraction, and James felt his stomach swoop.

"I don't want it to be, but I can't right now," she whispered in a pained voice. She closed her eyes, and hung her head, not wanting the tears to escape while James was there. James looked down at the girl he loved; nothing was ever going to change that.

"Me neither," he said back, before walking around her and up the stairs to his room. He sat down on the bed, pulling out the crystal sphere Lily had given him from under his pillow, and watched as they slow danced, feeling his body shake with sobs again. Lily fell asleep on the sofa, looking into the depths of the fire, lost in her thoughts. James got up after staring at the sphere for a long time, and made his way downstairs. It was midnight, and he felt a pang as he realized he had lost Lily Evans for a day now.

He saw Lily in the same spot he had left her, and as he walked closer, he realized she was asleep. He walked over to her desk, and saw that all her holiday homework, completed, was neatly laid out over it. He walked over to the sleeping Lily and looked down at her, fully appreciating exactly how beautiful she was. He picked her up in his arms, feeling the familiar feel of her, the familiar scent. He climbed up the stairs and pushed the door to her room open with his foot, and placed her gently on her bed. He removed his arms from around her, reluctantly, and she let out a soft moan in her sleep. He ran his hands through her hair, and saw her smile in her sleep.

"James"

His head snapped up and saw that Lily was, in fact, still asleep. He sighed and looked down at her.

"I love you, James"

He felt his eyes fill with tears as he heard those words, words he had worked so hard to achieve from this girl.

"Oh, Lily," he sighed, kneeling down so his face was exactly level with hers. He traced the planes of her face, memorizing them. He sat there for a very long time, watching his Lily sleep, before finally standing up, ruffling his hair.

"I will get you back," he murmured to her, before walking out of the room.


	16. Amortentia

**Hi! I'll write my A/N at the bottom or I might ruin everything**

**Disclaimer: I wish, but no**

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* * *

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_**Previously:**_

"_Oh, Lily," he sighed, kneeling down so his face was exactly level with hers. He traced the planes of her face, memorizing them. He sat there for a very long time, watching his Lily sleep, before finally standing up, ruffling his hair._

"_I will get you back," he murmured to her, before walking out of the room._

_

* * *

_

Lily woke up the next morning and sat up quickly, looking for her watch. She was late for breakfast. She groaned; her first day of the new term, and she didn't have James. It was going to be a long day. She pushed herself out of bed, albeit reluctantly, and walked over to her dresser. She picked up James' locket, and ran it through her fingers, before closing her eyes and putting it in the first drawer, along with the bracelet from Emily and Daniel, and the ring from Sirius. She had assumed Sirius was taking James' side in the break up, and she didn't want to parade the fact that she'd wear Sirius' jewelry but not James'. She got ready quickly, before running out of the Heads dorm.

She had cried so much in the last two days, she felt as if she had no tears left. Her eyes were still slightly puffy, and there was a lump in her throat that she doubted would ever vanish. She walked into the Great Hall, which was back to its usual state, full of people, and saw Hestia and Alice sitting with the Marauders and Frank. James was there. She froze, not knowing what to do. Should she go sit with them? Or sit alone? Sirius' head snapped up as he felt eyes on them, and he saw Lily standing at the entrance of the Great Hall. He could tell she didn't know if she should sit with them, and he decided to make it easier.

"LILY-FLOWER!" he yelled, gesturing over to her. Everyone jumped and James turned to look at her. Lily, slightly pink, walked over before Sirius could yell again and plopped down next to Peter, who was sitting next to Remus, who was next to James.

"Hey Lily," Peter said, smiling at her, and she smiled back. She didn't deserve to have them all nice to her. She had ruined everything.

"Ms. Evans!" Lily jumped and looked around to see McGonagall walking over to them. She groaned and stood up; McGonagall looked like she was in a bad mood.

"Morning Professor how are you?" she said in a friendly voice, and she saw McGonagall's expression dissolve a little.

"I'm well Ms. Evans, and yourself?" Lily flinched, unsure of how she should answer that question, but McGonagall didn't give her the opportunity to answer, "Anyway, Ms. Evans I'm going to need you and Mr. Potter to run a patrol tonight. It's the first day back from holiday and students usually decide not to behave on these nights," she said, and Lily nodded, trying not to laugh, "Thank you," McGonagall said, and with a nod to everyone else, ignoring Sirius blowing her a kiss, she walked away.

Lily sat down awkwardly, not knowing what to say anymore. Thankfully, Sirius wouldn't stop bickering with Remus the whole of breakfast, which gave her the opportunity to be quiet.

"Wait where's Gwenog?" she said, suddenly realizing who was missing.

"Ms. Jones will not be returning to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, who was standing behind her all of a sudden, and Lily jumped.

"Why?" Alice gasped.

"She is now a member of the Holyhead Harpies, it's a full time job, she needn't complete her NEWTS, and she is busy with practices," Dumbledore said, and Lily, Hestia and Alice looked down at their plates.

"Without saying goodbye?" Lily said quietly, and Dumbledore looked down at her sympathetically.

"She said she would be back in a few days to say goodbye," he said, and the girls nodded, "Did you make it to Privet Drive alright?" Dumbledore said, looking down at Lily, who felt her eyes blur.

"Yes, thank you," she said quietly, feeling James' eyes on her.

"Good. Now off to class, the lot of you," he said, waving his hands in the air. The seventh year Gryffindors stood up and made their way to Charms.

* * *

The day passed by excruciatingly slow. Lily felt as if the world was trying to rip her heart out. She hated not talking to James, she hated not being able to touch James, she hated not being able to grin at him, and she hated not having him next to her. James watched Lily the whole day, wanting her to look at him, wanting her to walk over and lean on him like she used to. Their classes passed by slowly, and everyone seemed to sense the difference in attitudes between the head students.

"Where'd our happy couple go?" Avery sneered, as he walked by James in the hallway. James, who couldn't take it anymore, turned around to punch Avery in the nose. Avery fell over, and James made his way over to Avery, but Sirius grabbed him around the torso, and pulled him in the other direction.

"Not worth it mate," Sirius said, and James shook him off, and continued to walk away with Sirius at his side.

* * *

James scheduled a Quidditch Practice that night, which went terribly, because of the Captains' obvious distance from the people.

"James! The game against Hufflepuff is in 2 months mate! We need to crush them to make the House cup!" Sirius yelled, hovering next to him. Sirius was one of James' beaters, and now that Gwenog was gone, James realized he needed a new chaser.

"We need tryouts for a new chaser," James said quietly, and Sirius nodded, clapping him on the back. Sirius was worried for James, and didn't know what he was going to do if James didn't snap out of this quickly. When James got back to the Common room that night, it was to see Lily sitting at her desk, working. Her head snapped up as he entered and she grabbed her stuff, and ran up the stairs, not wanting the tears to escape in front of him. James sighed, and kicked the sofa, before heading up his own stairs.

* * *

By the next morning, everyone knew about the Head Boy and Head Girls break up. The day went by slowly once again, and James noticed that even the teachers knew about the breakup. Lily was so upset, that she didn't answer any questions in class, which was unlike her. She was usually the only one paying attention. However, in transfiguration, when McGonagall yelled her name for the 3rd time, Lily answered the question correctly. After that, Lily buried herself in work. She didn't even talk to Alice or Hestia. She wanted to make it up with James, but every time she saw him, she saw the image of a dead stag in her mind, and she couldn't look at him.

"Lily I thought you were going to talk?" Remus asked the next morning at breakfast, but Lily sighed.

"I'm working on it," she muttered, "Every time I try I see a dead stag and I can't do it," she said, her voice breaking. Remus sighed sympathetically and he rubbed her on the shoulder before getting back to his food. They would get to it in time.

"Lily-flower, what's going on?" Sirius tried, after Remus, during Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lily had been paired with him and they were working on patronusses. Lily, who could usually produce a patronus, wasn't even getting wisps of silver. James, too, wasn't able to produce one. When Lily didn't answer, Sirius sent his patronus to run around her, causing her to chuckle, "There's that smile," he said gently, and Lily wiped the tears that escaped her eyes.

"I can't do this anymore. This apart thing," Lily whispered, glancing over at James, who had taken to watching all the other patronusses.

"Then fix it," Sirius said, and Lily shook her head.

"It's not that simple," she sighed, "I'm tired of imagining dead stags. And dogs and rats at that too," she turned, narrowing her eyes at Sirius, who blushed lightly, "I don't want you all to get hurt. It hurts me to think of you and Peter getting hurt, but it absolutely shatters me to even imagine James with a broken leg," she sighed, and Sirius sighed as well. He didn't know how to fix this.

* * *

"Lily!" Lily's head snapped up as Hestia stormed into her bedroom that night, while James held Quidditch tryouts for a new chaser a week later, "Lily snap out of it! You've been moping for a week, and you haven't been talking to us. Enough!" Hestia screamed, sitting down on Lily's bed.

"Lily you have to join the land of the living again," Alice said gently, shooting a glare at Hestia, "And seriously Hestia, the girl is upset. Don't yell at her!" Hestia blushed, embarrassed, and Alice held her hand out to Lily, "Let's go."

"Where?" Lily asked, wiping her eyes, "And I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking at her friends.

"Lily, don't worry about it, you're upset. You two were perfect together. We completely understand. We just missed you," Hestia said, putting her arm around Lily's shoulders. Lily chuckled and allowed her friends to drag her out of her room.

"And anyway, it's Saturday. It is not the day to work," Alice added, slinging her arm through Lily's.

"Where are we going?" Lily said, feeling better than she had in days. She had forgotten the magic of having friends, but she still felt as if she's been ripped in half.

"We're going to watch the Quidditch tryouts. I want to count to see how many girls show up to swoon over James and Sirius," Hestia said, nudging Lily, who chuckled. The mention of James' name had knocked the breath out of her, just like anything to do with James did after the break up, but she had to agree with Hestia. They made it down to the Quidditch Pitch, and Alice snorted. There were so many girls gathered in the stands to watch the boys.

"I win!" Hestia yelled, and Alice sighed, pulling out a galleon, "I bet tons of girls would show up, while Alice said they had lives," Hestia explained happily to Lily, who rolled her eyes.

"Really Alice? I thought you were smarter than that," Lily said quietly, and Alice nudged her playfully, glad that Lily was speaking. They walked into the stands and sat down. James had their back to them, and was watching the people trying out fly around the pitch. He wasn't actually watching though. He was thinking about Lily, like he usually did these days. He kept replaying everything that had happened between them, from when they'd gotten together, to the snowball fight. The blur of red flying around the pitch reminded him of her hair, and he felt the familiar lump rise in his throat. He shook his head and focused on the players.

Sirius, who had noticed the girls walk in, waved to them hugely, "HEY BABE!" he yelled to Hestia, who laughed and waved back, ignoring the glares from all the girls around them, who had turned to curse Hestia with their eyes. James turned to wave at Hestia, but almost fell of his broom as he noticed the familiar red head in the stands.

"LILY-FLOWER! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Sirius yelled, and James saw a small smile on Lily's face, which made his heart ache. She noticed James' eyes on her, and their eyes met for a moment, before she looked down at the floor. James turned back to watch his players, deciding to worry about Lily later, he needed his team to win the House Cup.

After the hours of tryouts, James finally selected a second year, with which he was satisfied. She was really good, "Welcome to the team!" he said happily, holding out his hand.

"Thank you," she said happily, "I'm Tonks," she smiled, "Hi Lily!" she said suddenly. James turned quickly to see that Hestia had run down to say hi to Sirius, followed by Lily and Alice.

"Hi Nymphadora," Lily said politely, smiling at her. James saw Tonks's nose crinkle.

"I hate that, it's Tonks," she said, and Lily chuckled.

"Okay Tonks." Tonks grinned at Lily, and James sighed. Why did Lily have to be so amazing? Everyone loved her. It didn't help with getting over her, which he knew was never going to happen anyway, "Hi," Lily said quietly to James, as Sirius and Hestia hugged next to her. Alice had walked away to Frank, who was sitting at the other side of the pitch with Remus and Peter.

James turned incredulously. Lily was speaking to him?

"Why haven't I seen you anywhere?" Marlene whined, running over to hug Lily, who stumbled due to the sheer force of it.

"I've been…busy," Lily said quietly, and Marline grinned.

"I bet. NEWTS. Blech." Lily's mouth twitched, knowing Marlene knew the real reason she was hiding. Lily looked back at Tonks, who was looking in the direction of Remus, and smiled.

"REMUS!" Lily yelled, and James found himself enjoying the sound of her voice. Sirius and Hestia jumped; they hadn't heard Lily's voice clearly all week. Remus, who was shocked as well, jogged over to them.

"Yes Lily?" he asked cautiously. Lily's eyes flickered back to Tonks, who was slightly pink and openly gawking at Remus.

"Remus, this is Tonks," she said, gesturing to Tonks, who blushed. Hestia, noticing Tonks' blush, grinned and walked over to Lily.

"Erm, it's nice to meet you?" Remus said confused, but politely, holding his hand out to Tonks for a handshake. Tonks, who blushed harder, took Remus's hand and shook it slightly, staring at her hand in his, "Why did you call me over?" he asked curiously, letting go of Tonks' hand. Lily ran her hand through her hair nervously, and James watched the way her hair moved as she did that.

"Just thought it'd be nice to introduce you to Tonks," she shrugged, and winked at Tonks, who grinned at her widely.

"Alright…I'm going to go now," Remus said, and with a grin to Tonks, he walked back to where he had been sitting.

"Oh Merlin, Lily you're the best!" Tonks squealed, and Hestia laughed. Sirius, who had caught on, smiled after Remus. Lily blushed under the compliment and she felt James' eyes on her once again. She turned to look at him and green met hazel, "If it's any consolation, I think that you two were really good together," Tonks said, gesturing between Lily and James. Lily froze a little, before smiling slightly at Tonks.

"Thanks," she whispered, and Tonks grinned. Another second year girl ran out of the stands towards Tonks.

"TONKS! Oh Merlin you got in! Congratulations! And Merlin's _pants _you talked to him!" she squealed, and Tonks grinned at her. Lily smiled at the second years as they squealed.

"I'll see you later," Tonks said politely to the seventh years, and with a grin at Lily, she and her friend ran away together, arms linked.

"Aw isn't she just the sweetest little thing!" Hestia squealed, and Lily smiled. Sirius barked a laugh.

"I can't believe she's in love with Moony," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Just more proof he's the attractive one," Lily said without thinking, and covered her mouth as Sirius gasped.

"I CANT BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT!" Sirius yelled, and James grinned as Lily laughed.

"Sorry Sirius," she said cheekily.

"Yeah Lily, we're hurt," James said quietly, and Lily turned to look at him, their eyes meeting. Back when they were dating, she would've done something like stick her tongue out at him, or kiss him on the cheek. She didn't know what to do now. Hestia, however, sensing her best friends dilemma, butted in.

"Yeah well, we've just been proven right," declared Hestia, and Lily sighed, grateful for her best friend, and looked down at the floor.

"I'm going to go finish now," Lily said quietly, and Hestia sighed, letting go of her friend.

"LILY-FLOWER! We haven't seen you in for_ever_!" Sirius whined, and Lily smiled, "You're not going anywhere. We're all going to hang out," he declared, and Lily paled. Hang out? With James? How? Sirius walked over and slung Lily over his shoulder, and Lily screamed.

"I cant, I have to finish my essay," Lily said quietly.

"It's Saturday!"

"I cant Sirius," Lily said, looking at Sirius, who sighed, as he understood.

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow then?" he said happily, and Lily nodded. She turned around and walked off the pitch. James flew up into the air and watched as Lily broke into a run and entered the castle.

* * *

Lily stayed in her room the whole of Sunday, working, and revising. When anyone asked her, she reminded them of the upcoming NEWTS, which they promptly reminded her wasn't for another six months. She, however, ignored them, and spent the whole day sitting on her bed, looking through the album Hestia had given her for Christmas, and staring at the picture of her and James inside the locket.

The album contained pictures of them all through Hogwarts, from their First Year all the way to their Seventh year. She saw a picture of her and James in their First year, next to a picture of Lily sitting on his lap as his face was in her hair a couple months ago. She smiled at the difference, and felt tears escape as she looked at the picture of her and James. She put the locket on, missing the way it felt against her skin, and the meaning it held as she wore it, and took it off, before crying into her pillow.

That night, when James got back from Quidditch Practice, Lily was walking down the stairs. She saw James, and stopped, looking at him. James looked at her, dressed in his jersey, and froze. Lily looked down at the jersey and felt tears well up in her eyes. She pulled it off, she had been wearing a spaghetti underneath, and walked over to James.

"Here," she said, holding it out to him. James looked down at the jersey she was offering him, and then up at her.

"I don't want it," he said sadly, shaking his head, "It's yours."

"It's got your name on it," she replied, her mouth twitching. James chuckled, the exact argument he'd used on her back at his house.

"I thought I wasn't getting it back," he said quietly, and Lily's smile vanished.

"Things change," she whispered, and James shook his head.

"Some things never will Lils," he said. Lily felt her heart break at the use of her nickname, and looked up at him, "You keep it," he said, and turned around to head up his staircase. Lily sighed and placed the jersey on James' desk, before turning around and walking back up her staircase. It wasn't hers anymore, just like he wasn't.

* * *

"Today we're going to conduct pair activities," Slughorn announced, "we're going to be brewing Amortentia," he said happily, and Lily groaned. A love potion? Really?

"Now, I will assign you pairs," he said happily, walking over to the Gryffindors, and Lily crossed her fingers. Not James. Anyone but James, "Black and Jones," Sirius grinned at Hestia, who smiled back, "Longbottom and Pettigrew, Lupin and Prewett," Lily felt the lump rise up again, as she saw those pairs grin at each other, there were only two left, "And Potter and Evans," he said, with a wink at Lily, "Chop-chop!" he said, clapping his hands, and Lily walked over to James. Slughorn was the only teacher who was oblivious to the fact that James and Lily and split. He was convinced they were going to get married.

"I'll get the ingredients," he said quietly, and walked away. Lily closed her eyes and set up the cauldron and the flame underneath it. Potions was her best subject, which was why she was disappointed. She couldn't even concentrate too hard, she'd drift off a lot, and the brewing time would leave her to talk to James. James returned and put the ingredients on the table gently. Lily noticed how his glasses were dirty, and without thought, pointed her wand at them, and they cleared. James jumped at the sudden clarity and looked at Lily, who was blushing, and putting her wand away, "Thanks," he said quietly, and Lily shrugged it off.

They begun making the potion, but at the time when they had to wait for it to brew, they sat there quietly. They were all at individual tables, so they couldn't just turn and talk to someone.

"So," Lily said, and James smirked.

"How've you been?" James said quietly, and saw Lily pale.

"Terrible, yourself?" she asked, and James smiled.

"Even worse," he shrugged, and Lily giggled.

"We need help," she said, shaking her head at the floor. James smiled at the use of 'we'.

"What's at Privet Drive?" he asked, encouraged by the fact that she was at least speaking to him. He had been wondering that ever since Dumbledore had asked her about it that day.

"Tuney." James's eyebrows raised high.

"You went to visit Tuney? Why?" Lily could hear the surprise in his voice and blushed a little.

"I needed to talk to her," she said quietly.

"Why?"

"I didn't know what to do," she said so quietly, James almost missed it. He ran his hand through his hair, knowing what she was referring to.

"What did she tell you to do?" he asked warily. Lily turned a fiery shade of red, and James found himself marveling in how beautiful that colour was.

"She told me what I already knew," Lily murmured, and James raised an eyebrow.

"What do you already know?" he whispered, leaning towards her. He had promised he was going to get her back, and he would. Just then, the potion began to bubble and Lily stood up quickly, looking inside the potion, and James sighed.

"Can you pass me the roots?" she said, and James passed them to her dejectedly. When Lily started to stir, James smelt the overwhelming scent of Orchids, Lily's shampoo, and gasped. Lily smelt the smell of James, and closed her eyes, marveling in its scent, "wow," she breathed, taking in the scent.

"I bet it smells like the each other," Slughorn chuckled as he walked over. James saw Lily blush deep red and ruffled his hair. Thanks for making it awkward Slughorn, "This potion receives and Outstanding," he said, grinning down at Lily, who gave him a small smile.

"Thanks Professor," she said, and Slughorn chuckled, his belly jiggling.

"Ah Mr. Potter you've got a good one here, don't lose her," he said, patting James on the back before walking around him, and James felt something tug at his navel at Slughorns words.

"So let's clean up," she said quietly, not looking at James. She stood up but felt James take her wrist.

"Lils, I can't go on like this," he said quietly, and Lily heard the lump in his throat. She turned to face him, "I know you're worried, but you need to know, I'm not just being stupid. I do it for Moony, he needs us," he said, his voice breaking. Lily, who couldn't take being apart from James any longer, put her finger on his lips, and James stopped talking, looking down at her finger.

"We'll talk later," she said quietly, and James felt his stomach flip, and a glimmer of hope. Sirius, who had noticed James and Lily, nudged Hestia, who looked over at them, and a grin split across her face.

"Not long now," Hestia muttered, and Sirius grinned at her.

"How are you so sure?"

"I know things," she giggled, pinching Sirius' chin. Sirius grinned and leaned down to kiss her on the nose, and Hestia squealed.

"Now Mr. Black, focus on the work," Slughorn said, chuckling. Sirius grinned up at Slughorn and winked, causing Slughorns giant belly to jiggle with chuckles once again. Hestia, who had blushed, nudged Sirius, and he turned to look over at Lily and James.

"Why can't we talk now?" James said, putting his hand on hers, pulling her finger off his lips, and didn't release her hand. Lily looked down at her hand in his, and felt her pulse race. This was not good; she had it way too bad. Lily opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Slughorns booming voice.

"Well done everyone! Every Potion in here passed! Now off to lunch!" he boomed. James saw Lily grab her back quickly and picked his up as well.

"I'll see you in the dorm later," he said, and Lily turned pink, but to James' immense happiness, nodded. She walked over to Hestia, who grinned at her.

"What?" Lily said, and Hestia shook her head happily. Sirius winked at Lily before walking over to James.

"Hey," Sirius said, clapping James on the back, and James grinned, "Wow I haven't seen you do that since the snowball fight," Sirius said, rolling his eyes, and James smiled down at Sirius.

"Thanks mate," James said huskily, and Sirius shook his head.

"What are best mates for?"

* * *

Lunch was painfully uneventful, but anyone could see the new hope in James' eyes and the small smile on Lily's face. There was more energy in the two than there had been all week. Lily tied up her hair, noticing James' eyes on her hair, and smiled to herself. The last two classes passed by slowly, and soon, it was dinnertime.

The Great Hall was noisy. Especially since they had spent the last few meals at the tiny oval table. Somehow, Lily ended up sitting across from James, and spent the whole meal looking down at her food, as did James. She couldn't help but think of the game she had played with him at the Potter mansion, and a grin spread across her face at the memory.

"What are you smiling at?" Sirius said through his mouth of food, and Lily winced as a bit of chicken flew out of his mouth.

"Gross Sirius!" she said, shifting away from him as everyone snickered. Sirius swallowed and shifted closer to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Ah Lily-flower. You might think that was gross, but you obviously haven't seen Wormy's feet," he said.

"OI!" Peter yelled as everyone laughed. Lily chuckled and pushed Sirius off her.

"Mr. Black, for the last time, what _are _you wearing?" McGonagall asked, storming over to them. Sirius had taken to wearing his leather jacket over his Hogwarts robes.

"Like it eh?" Sirius winked, and McGonagall blushed.

"It is not dress code, take it off," she said.

"Just the jacket or everything?" Sirius said cheekily, and Lily had to bite back a laugh at McGonagall's expression. She could see everyone's shoulders shaking violently and looked over at McGonagall, whose face was the colour of Lily's hair, and whose lips were pursed into a tight line. McGonagall walked away without another word, "Don't worry, love, I'll be graduating soon! Our love will no longer be forbidden!" Lily saw McGonagall stumble on her way up and then they burst into laughter. Lily watched James laugh, and felt her stomach flip. They were laughing so hard that they didn't notice someone come up behind Lily.

"Lily?" Lily turned around at the mention of her name, and saw Amos Diggory, a seventh year Hufflepuff, who most of the girls at Hogwarts swooned after, that is, after James, Sirius and Remus.

"Hi Amos," she smiled, and she saw both Hestia and Alice sigh at his smile.

"I heard about you and Potter, you know, splitting, and I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me the next Hogsmeade visit?" Lily saw everyone tense and she saw James' jaw clench across from her.

"Uh, Amos, I don't think that'll work out," she said quietly.

"Why not Lily?" Amos whispered, leaning down closer to Lily. Lily leaned back, away from Amos, "Lily I'd be good for you," he said, and leaned down further. Lily froze as Amos kissed her on the forehead and suddenly, there was a blast, and Amos was thrown backwards.

She turned around quickly to see James standing up with his wand out. Sirius and Remus had their wands out as well. Everyone in the Great Hall seemed to have frozen and turned to see what had happened. James, whose eyes were shining with tears, continued to glare at Amos, who had stood up.

"POTTER WHAT THE HELL!" Amos yelled, pulling out his wand. He pointed it at James and James dodged the hex Amos had sent at him, which hit the opposite wall. Sirius, Remus, Peter and Frank stood up, wands drawn, facing Amos Diggory, with murder on their expressions.

They aimed their wands at Amos, ready to curse. Everyone watched as five spells flew at Amos, and he was thrown back hard, slamming into the other wall. He aimed his wand and pointed it at Remus, whose face erupted in bat wings, which he cured with a flick of his wand. Furious, Sirius aimed his wand at Amos, and a large ribbon flew out, tying him up. Amos cut it off, and aimed his wand at James. James was thrown back, and Lily stood up.

"Stop!" she yelled. She pointed her wand at James, who was about to slam into the wall, and he flew back to them, looking at Lily incredulously. Lily turned and pointed her wand at Amos, "_Expelliarmus_!" she yelled, and Amos' wand flew over to her. All the boys turned to look at her, as did Hestia, Alice, and the rest of the hall. Even the teachers were watching with rapt attention. Secretly, they all wanted the Head Boy and Girl to get back together. After making sure James was okay, Lily turned to glare at Amos.

"Lily he cursed me first!" Amos said incredulously.

"If you even aim your wand at him again I will curse you so hard you wont be able to sit on a broom properly," she yelled. There were whoops and cheers erupting along the Gryffindor table, as well as from the teachers, Lily noticed, and Lily could see James watching her out of the corner of her eyes. She saw Sirius, Remus, Peter, Frank, Alice and Hestia turn to look at her, and she saw grins on all their faces.

"Yes!" she heard Sirius hiss. Everyone knew what was going to happen after that.

"Lily you're being stupid!" Amos yelled, and Lily turned slowly to glare at him.

"Excuse me?" she shrieked, finally letting out all the emotions she'd been holding back for that week.

"You heard me! He hurt you Lily! And you haven't been the same! You _need _me!" His response caused all the Gryffindors to hiss. She saw Hestia raise her wand but Alice stopped her.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Lily shrieked, and she heard people clap, "Why would I possibly need YOU? The only person I need I haven't talked to in a week!" she screamed, and tears started spilling from her eyes. James froze to look at Lily, and felt his stomach flip. Yes!

"POTTER? ARE YOU BLOODY JOKING?" Amos yelled, and James turned to look at him murderously.

"Go to HELL Amos!" Lily shrieked, pointing her wand at Amos. Amos froze and put his hands up in surrender.

"Lily!" Amos yelled, "He doesn't have you anymore!"

"And you never will!" she yelled. She sent a nasty hex at him, and Amos was thrown back, erupting in nasty hives. The Great Hall cheered, and Lily, grabbing her stuff, stormed out of the Great Hall, allowing tears to fall down her cheeks. The Great Hall froze after Lily left, and James looked after her.

"Go!" McGonagall yelled, breaking the silence, gesturing after Lily. Dumbledore looked at her incredulously, "Potter go after her! Oh shut up Albus," she muttered, and Dumbledore chuckled, "Potter just bloody go! Go after her!"

James grabbed his bag and ran out of the Great Hall to cheers and applause. Sirius blew a kiss to McGonagall, who grinned, before sitting down.

* * *

He ran up to the Heads dorm, but Lily wasn't there. He dropped his stuff off, and went to check Gryffindor Tower, with no luck. He ran to the library, but she wasn't there either. He ran outside to the Marauders tree, to Hagrids hut, to the Quidditch Pitch, to the bloody girls bathroom, but he couldn't find her. He went back to the Heads dorm and fell onto the sofa. Where could she be? James' head snapped up suddenly, and he started running to the seventh floor, to the place across the tapestry of Barnes The Noble. He paced back and forth, closing his eyes, and then, pulled open the magic door, and looked around the room he had shown Lily all those months ago, before they had gotten together in the first place. Lily was sitting in the armchair, her shoulders shaking, oblivious to the fact that she wasn't alone.

He walked over to her and cupped her face in both his hands. Lily gasped as someone touched her and found herself looking into her favorite colour, hazel.

"James I'm sorry!" she choked out, tears streaming down her face, "I'm so sorry! I was stupid! I was scared, and I was angry, and I-I" she couldn't go any further, and James pulled her into his arms, sitting on the floor, with Lily in his lap.

"Shh Lily," he said soothingly, "let's go back to the dorm okay?" Lily nodded and he helped her up. He walked next to her, not sure if he was allowed to hold her hand, and they made their way back to the Heads dorm. When they entered, Lily turned to James in the middle of the common room, and looked up at his face.

"James I'm sorry," she whispered, and James shook his head, putting his finger on her lips. Tears continued to flow down her face and James wiped them away with his thumbs.

"I'm sorry too," he whispered, and Lily shook her head.

"You d-don't have to a-apologize. I was out of l-line," she choked out, and James shook his head.

"No you weren't. I should have told you," he said, and Lily nodded, "And you love hearing you were right don't you?" he teased, and he saw his favorite sight in the world, Lily grinning.

"That's because I'm always right," she said, and James rolled his eyes. Lily looked up at James, "Can you forgive me?" she whispered.

"Oh Lily," James said, resting his forehead against hers, and Lily felt her heart race. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, and Lily wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned down carefully, unsure if he was allowed to do this, but Lily clarified that by getting on her tiptoes, and closing the distance between them. She sighed in contentment as she felt his soft lips on her again, and tears flowed down her face again. Tears of Joy. James moved one of his hands into her hair, and his lips curved up in a small smile. She moved her hands into his hair and started messing it up more than it usually was. When they finally broke apart, James kept his forehead against hers, catching his breath.

"Just clarifying, we're together again aren't we?" he asked, and Lily laughed, finally feeling as if she'd been sowed together again.

"Thank Merlin. I've missed my locket," she said, grinning up at him, and James grinned down at her.

"You know I love you right?" he whispered, looking into Lily's eyes.

"And you know I love you too," she said, before reaching up to kiss him again.

* * *

**Hey guys! Lot's of you wanted a happy chapter, and here it is! I'm so happy; I was tired of them being apart. It's depressing at the beginning, yes, but it gets better! I was listening to 'Sleepers Just Don't' by Mayday Parade during this chapter, and I think it helped inspire me in a way. And I just couldn't resist but add Tonks in there. I wanted to get Remus a lady friend, but I couldn't imagine him with anyone but Tonks. I hope you like it! I'll update later today probably. **

**Review! Happy Fanficcing!**


	17. Pajamas

**Hello all! Enjoy! It's my mums' birthday today! So I decided to write this chapter in her honour. Also I had a few requests on more Sirius/Hestia stuff, and a diary for Lily. Those are brilliant ideas, and I am going to use them, so thank you (: **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and I am not JK Rowling. Stop rubbing it in.**

**

* * *

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_**Previously:**_

"_Just clarifying, we're together again aren't we?" he asked, and Lily laughed, finally feeling as if she'd been sowed together again. _

"_Thank Merlin. I've missed my locket," she said, grinning up at him, and James grinned down at her._

"_You know I love you right?" he whispered, looking into Lily's eyes._

"_And you know I love you too," she said, before reaching up to kiss him again._

_

* * *

_

Lily woke up the next morning in a significantly better mood. She jumped out of bed, and the first thing she did was put on the locket James had given her for Christmas. She then put on the ring Sirius had given her, and lastly, she wore the bracelet James' parents had given her. She was in such an amazing mood it was frightening. The contrast from the day before and today, well, even a blind man would have been able to see it. She ran down to the Common Room, completely dressed, and saw James leaning against his desk.

James had been up for a few hours, unable to sleep because of his happiness. He watched Lily run down the stairs, and his eyes zeroed in on the locket, and a grin split across his face.

"Hi!" Lily said happily, skipping over to James.

"Hey," he chuckled, "Someone's in a good mood"

"There's a reason to be in a good mood," she shrugged, and James felt his stomach flip. He held his hand out to her and Lily took it without hesitation, enjoying the feel of his calloused hand wrapped around hers.

"There sure is," he said, kissing Lily on the top of her head. They walked out of the door, bags slung over their shoulder, when Lily turned around suddenly.

"I forgot a hair tie!" she said, and started back, but James pulled her back towards him. He pulled her hair tie out of his pocket, where he had kept it for the whole week, and handed it to her, and Lily raised her eyebrows.

"I kept it," he shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes. Of course he kept it. They made their way to the Great Hall, hand in hand, enjoying each other's company, which they had been missing for a week.

"I can't believe we were apart for a whole week," Lily said, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"I know," he said quietly, and Lily grinned into his cloak. How had he managed to have her wrapped around is rather large finger so quickly?

"How do you do it?" she asked curiously, and James looked down at her, eyebrows raised.

"Do what?"

"The stag thing," she said, and James marveled at how casually she had thrown it out.

"It took a lot of time. We finally perfected it in Fourth Year," he said, running his hand through his hair.

"Why a stag?" she asked, looking up at him. James came to a stop and messed his hair again. Lily sighed and put her hand in his hair, ruffling it just right, "Stop messing it up," she chastised, and James grinned down at her.

"I don't know. It's my patronus," he shrugged. Lily nodded, turning away, but then turned to look at him quickly.

"Your patronus is a stag?" she asked, bewildered.

"Didn't I just say that Lils?" he asked cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"My patronus is a doe. How odd," she said, trailing off.

"That's what I was going to tell you that day when I saw your patronus," he said, and Lily nodded, biting her lip, "Don't do that," he said, tapping her chin. Lily looked up at him, as if to ask him if he was mentally stable, "Don't bite your lip. Only I can do that," he said, grinning down at her, and Lily felt her face heat up, which caused James to laugh.

They entered the Great Hall and walked to their seats, grins on their faces. Lily noticed the faces smiling at them, and blushed slightly, hiding her face behind a curtain of hair. James, noticing her reaction, chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder, just so everyone knew for sure. Their friends, who they hadn't told yet, looked up at them with gleeful expressions.

"YAY!" Sirius yelled, running over to them, causing Lily to blush harder as everyone turned to look in their direction. Sirius picked Lily up and spun her around, and Lily squealed.

"Sirius! Put me down!" she screamed, and Sirius laughed, ignoring her, and continued to spin her around.

"Mate, put her down," James chuckled, and Sirius sighed, placing Lily back on the floor.

"You ruin everything Prongs. I was having fun!" Sirius whined, and Lily rolled her eyes, "Come on Lily-flower," Sirius huffed dramatically, grabbing her arm. Lily laughed as Sirius made to drag her away, but James grabbed her other arm, "Its on mate," Sirius said, looking at James, and tugged Lily. James tugged her back.

"TUG-OF-WAR!" Remus yelled, to general amusement, and walked behind Sirius, helping him pull Lily.

"Remus!"

"Sorry Lily, it's fun," Remus grinned, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"No this is no fun, Lily-flower's going to get angry. Let's play a different game," Sirius said, still holding Lily's wrist, and putting his finger to his chin to think. The Great Hall was watching them, amused, and Lily could see Dumbledore's eyes twinkling, "LILY SANDWICH!" he screamed, and Lily shrieked as Sirius grabbed her in a hug.

"Yeah okay," James shrugged, and Lily looked at him, aghast, as he hugged Lily from the other side. Laughing, Remus put his arms around all of them and squeezed. Lily received envious glares from all the girls in the Great Hall, and blushed.

"Get. Off. Me," she managed to choke out.

"DON'T DIE LILY-FLOWER!" Sirius yelled, letting go of her, and Lily took a giant breath.

"Do you enjoy crushing me with your bloody bodies?" she gasped, and she saw Sirius grin slyly. She could see the dirty thoughts forming in his mind, "I didn't meant like- oh sod it," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Do you need me to give you CPR?" he winked, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him as Remus guffawed.

"No that's fine I'll do it," James grinned, causing Sirius and Remus to bellow with laughter, and Lily walked away with a huff. She hated them all. She sat in between Hestia and Alice, who were both smiling at her.

"Oh go ahead," she said, and the two girls started to squeal. They hugged her and Lily lost her ability to breathe, again.

"I thought we weren't allowed to do Lily sandwiches?" Remus asked, sitting across from the girls.

"This is okay we don't have bloody giant bodies," Hestia said, letting go of Lily.

"Well…" Lily said cheekily, and Hestia cried in outrage.

"Oh shut up Lily-flower. She's bloody sexy," Sirius said, winking at Hestia, who grinned happily.

"I love you," Hestia said, kissing Sirius on the cheek, and Lily grinned, as Sirius turned red. Sirius, noticing Lily's grin, narrowed his eyes at her.

"Do you think everyone knows about you and Prongs getting back together?" he asked curiously, and Lily saw Remus' eyes twinkle with mischief. She saw James grin and she gulped.

"Probably considering all the racket you lot were making," Frank said, sitting next to Alice and kissing her on the cheek.

"Probably eh? Well, just to be positive," Sirius said mischievously.

"Sirius Black I will hex you!" Lily squealed, as Sirius stood up.

"Until I can't sit on a broom properly?" he said cheekily, and Lily turned red. Poor Amos. Before she could stop him, he climbed onto the table, "Hello everyone!" Sirius yelled, his voice so loud he didn't need a sonorous charm.

"Hi!" she heard a few voices yell, and Lily chuckled, realizing they were female. Of course the entire female population would be looking at him.

"Just to clarify. Our Head Boy and Head Girl are back together," he said, a grin on his face. His clarification lead to lots of cheering and clapping, and Lily hid her face in her hands. Why did this always happen to her?

"We know Mr. Black!" McGonagall yelled, walking towards them, "Now get off the bloody table," she said, and Sirius grinned down at her.

"Minerva my dear, why don't you come up here with me?" he said, flashing her a charming smile that made most girls swoon.

"Ms. Evans can you at least _try _to control Mr. Black?" McGonagall asked Lily, who choked.

"I'm sorry Professor, I don't know if that's possible," Lily said, and McGonagall smiled stiffly down at her.

"Obviously not. Congratulations Ms. Evans, on you and Mr. Potter, but I came over her to tell you that Ms. Jones will be visiting this morning," McGonagall said, and Lily squealed.

"Really?"

"No I'm joking Ms. Evans," McGonagall said.

"Minerva, love! Was that sarcasm?" Sirius gasped, still standing on the table. McGonagall ignored him and with a smile to Lily, and to James, to his immense surprise, she walked back towards the Heads table, where Dumbledore was laughing, watching Sirius in fascination.

"Gwenog's visiting!" Alice squealed, and Lily grinned. She thought of all Gwenog had missed, and then felt a pang as she remembered; she had to tell Tuney about her and James.

"I'll see you soon," she said, getting up.

"Where are you going?" James asked, grabbing her hand.

"I have to send a letter"

"Send it later," he said, melting her with his eyes, and she sighed, sitting down.

"Fine, but you're not allowed to do that again," she said, glaring at him, and James grinned cheekily. Just then, Amos Diggory walked into the Great Hall, and made a beeline towards them, "Oh Merlin," she whimpered as she noticed him. Everyone's heads snapped up to see what she was looking at, and she saw them tense.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you Lily-flower," Sirius said, glaring at Amos, and drawing his wand.

"No Sirius, don't," Lily said, and they all turned to look at her as if she'd lost her mind. Then again, she probably had, "he didn't really do anything wrong."

"Lily, he kissed you on the forehead when you said no, and when you were still crushed about James, and when you CLEARLY said no," Remus said, and Lily sighed.

"Let him vent," she said, but they saw her draw her wand, just in case. Amos stopped in front of them and glared furiously down at James' arm around Lily. The whole hall seemed to be looking at them, again._ Why is it people keep looking at me this year? It's infuriating! _Lily screamed in her head.

"Lily," Amos said curtly, and Lily nodded at him.

"Amos"

"Can I talk to you?" he said, and Lily could see his hands shaking with anger.

"Can't you talk here?" James asked nastily, and Lily shot him a look, silencing him.

"Lily?" Amos said, glaring at James. Lily sighed and stood up, slipping easily out from under James' arm.

"Lily," James said, looking at her worriedly, and Lily smiled at him.

"S'fine," she said, and let Amos lead the way out of the hall.

"I don't like this, he looked really messed up," Hestia whispered, standing up to follow them.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked curiously, standing up.

"To spy, obviously," Alice said, rolling her eyes and walking out with Hestia.

"We'll come too!" Remus said, standing up, but Hestia shook her head.

"This is less conspicuous," Hestia said, and Remus scoffed.

"Oh sod it," James said, standing up to walk out with Hestia and Alice, followed by Remus, Sirius, Frank and Peter.

* * *

"What Amos?" Lily asked, as Amos led her to a spot by the Black Lake, "I need to leave for class soon."

"Lily how could you?" Amos asked, turning to look at her.

"How could I what?" she asked, and she saw Amos' hands start to shake as if he wanted to hit her.

"How could you get back with him!" he said in a strained voice.

"I love him Amos," she said gently.

"Bollocks!" he spat at her, and Lily turned to look up at him icily, "How can you love such a, such a, such an arrogant GIT?" he yelled the last word at her, and Lily narrowed her eyes.

* * *

"Did he call you a git?" Sirius whispered angrily from where they were standing in the Entrance Hall, looking through a window at them.

"Let it go Pads," James said gently, watching Lily, who was facing their direction. The seven of them all had their wands drawn, and were packed tightly, all trying to look out of the window. They jumped as Amos yelled again.

* * *

"LIKE HELL IT ISNT MY BUSINESS! Merlin Lily you're so stupid!" he yelled at her, and Lily took a step back as if he'd hit her.

"Amos, if I recall correctly, you _know _I love him," she said quietly, looking up at him, "You mentioned how messed up I was about the break up, and then you asked me out," she said, and she saw Amos look at her guiltily, "So I suggest you shove off, and leave me the hell alone," she said, and made to walk around.

Amos' hand flashed up and Lily fell over as he hit her across the face.

"_Impedimenta!" _she heard someone yell, and Amos was thrown back into the Black Lake. She turned to see her seven friends running out of the Great Hall towards her.

"Lily, Lils are you alright?" Hestia squealed, falling next to her best friend, noticing the large red mark on the side of her face.

"That asshole!" Alice screeched, noticing the red mark on Lily's face as well. She made to walk over to the Black Lake, but was restrained by Frank.

"We got it," he said, his eyes blazing furiously. Alice nodded, wiping at her tears of anger, and turned back to Lily, who was on her feet.

"Lils are you okay?" James yelled to her, his wand out, pointing at Amos, who was in the Black Lake. Lily walked over to James, and put his arm down.

"He's not worth it James," she said gently, but James ignored her. Lily saw the fury on his face, and took a step back.

"Get out Diggory," Sirius snarled, and Amos pulled out his wand.

"No!" Remus yelled, and flicked his wand, causing Amos' wand to fly to Remus.

"Get. Out," James said angrily, and Amos got out warily. James walked towards him, but was beat by Hestia, who slapped Amos hard across the face. Amos stumbled backwards at the sheer force of the slap, looking down at Hestia, his eyes slightly glazed.

"Hestia what are you doing?" they heard a yell. Gwenog walked out of the castle, dressed in a Holyhead Harpies jumper and jeans. Lily grinned and ran over to Gwenog, hugging her, "Lily! Oh Merlin I've missed you!" Gwenog said, hugging her friend, "Now why in the name of Merlin's pinky toe is Hestia slapping Amos Diggory?" she asked, but Alice answered for her.

"Because he's an idiot. Enough said," Alice said, and hugged Gwenog happily. Alice and Gwenog were as close as Lily and Hestia were.

"Oh no what did he do?"

"He slapped Lily," Alice growled, and Gwenog's face darkened.

"He did WHAT?" she screamed, and Amos' head turned to see another angry person.

"He slapped Lily," Hestia said simply, walking over to the girls, "So I slapped him. Inside?" she suggested, and the girls nodded.

"Be careful," Lily said to James, who rolled his eyes at her, before turning back to Amos.

"Lily!" Amos yelled, but Lily ignored him, walking into the castle, rubbing her face, which hurt.

"If this bruises I will kill you," she said to him over her shoulder, and Amos paled as she vanished into the castle, leaving him defenseless with five armed, furious boys.

* * *

Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, who had been spying on the Gryffindors and Amos, watched as the Marauders and Frank cursed Amos to no end.

"Albus, you have to stop that!" McGonagall squealed, watching the scene below them with both terror, and elation. She was glad someone was getting that Hufflepuff boy for what he had done.

"Stop what?" he asked innocently, before walking away

* * *

Amos Diggory was in the hospital wing for a week after the Marauders and Frank had dealt him with.

* * *

"Show me," Lily said suddenly. She was sitting on James on the sofa in the Heads dorm on the night before the next full moon.

"Show you what?" James murmured into her hair.

"The Animagus thing," she said, and James' head snapped back.

"You want to see?" he said, surprised. Lily turned to grin at him and he felt his stomach flip.

"Yes I want to see. My boyfriend transforms into a stag, of course I want to see," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You've seen before," he said, kissing her cheek.

"That was different. I was too busy being angry at you and hurting over the fact that I was going to break up with you to fully appreciate it," she shrugged. They had come to a point where they could talk about the break up openly, as it didn't hurt anymore, now that they had each other.

"Of course," James said, rolling his eyes, and Lily laughed.

"Please?" she said, leaning in closer to James, causing his heart race to predictably speed up.

"Cheater," he muttered, and she grinned at him. He sighed and slid out from under her, "Don't scream," he teased, and Lily rolled her eyes. James took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Wait!" Lily said, and James opened his eyes, amused. Lily sat on the back of the sofa, her feet resting on the cushions, and she looked at him.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" James asked exasperatedly. Only Lily Evans.

"Well I don't know! You're transforming into a wild animal!" she squealed, and James guffawed.

"A wild animal?"

"Oh shut up," she said, blushing, and James grinned.

"No more interruptions, I need to concentrate," he said.

"Don't hurt yourself," she grinned cheekily, and James glared at her playfully. He closed his eyes and Lily watched in fascination as he took a deep breath. She was going to ask if he should take off his glasses, but bit back her question. She watched as James skin started to flutter, as if he'd taken the Polyjuice Potion, and soon enough, there was a stag standing in front of her, "Wow," she breathed, and she saw the stag turn to look at her warily.

She took a hesitant step towards, erm, James, and he took a step closer to her in response. Lily placed her hand on the long antlers that stuck out of its head and shook it, laughing as the stag lost balance. She saw the stag bow to her and she snorted, bowing back. It took another step closer to her, lowering its head, and she took a step back. It started to walk, backing her up slowly, until she was standing on the sofa, yelling at him.

"James! For the love of Merlin back off!" she yelled, laughing, and the stag took another step towards her. Lily, who was already standing on the sofa, took a step back and lost her balance, falling off the back of the sofa. She groaned as her head hit the floor with a thump and sat up, rubbing her poor head, "You will die a painful death!" she yelled.

"Aw, Lils, why would you wish that on me?" he said innocently, looking down at her from the back of the sofa. Lily stuck her tongue out at him and pushed herself up. She huffed and walked away, "Lils!" she heard James yell, holding back his laughter, and continued up the stairs to her room. She shut the door and counted to three, and heard the thumps as he ran up the stairs. Laughing quietly to herself, she stood behind the door. James opened the door, hiding Lily, and looked around.

He looked around and saw a flash of red through the crack of the door, and smirked. He shut the door quickly and backed Lily against the wall, "how did you know?" she groaned as James put his hands on her hips.

"Your hair is very vibrant," he teased, and Lily narrowed her eyes, "as are your eyes I might add, but that doesn't really have an effect on how I found you." Lily rolled her eyes, blushing.

"Stop using your charms on me," she said, pushing his chest, which had no effect but amused James.

"My charms? Whatever are you talking about?" he said innocently, a twinkle in he eye, and Lily rolled her eyes. James chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"Now will you move your body?" she whined, and James laughed.

"Does my body bother you?" he said in a low voice, and Lily felt tingles run down her spine.

"Very much actually"

"Well let me show you the good things about it," he said, moving his hands up so they were on her ribs.

"Sorry still not appreciating it," she managed to choke out, and she saw James grin, and move his hands up a little bit higher. Lily shook her head, and they moved up higher, before vanishing. She opened her eyes and saw James's red, laughing face, "Not funny!" she yelled, and James laughed.

* * *

The next day, Monday, Lily sat down in the Great Hall, only to have Sirius huff and look away from her. She looked over at Hestia, who shrugged, and then at James, who shrugged as well.

"Sirius?"

"I don't want to look at you," he said childishly, looking down at his food.

"Why?" she asked, bewildered.

"Because you remind me of Christmas and I don't want to do work!" he whined, and Lily raised her eyebrows.

"How do I remind you of Christmas?" She looked around to see everyone watching Sirius with bewildered expressions.

"Red hair, green eyes. It's like you're permanently celebrating Christmas. What the hell Lily!" Sirius whined, and everyone burst into laughter.

"You're right Sirius," Remus chuckled, looking at Lily. Lily noticed how sallow and worn out he was looking today, and smiled at him slightly.

"Exactly! She's like bloody Christmas on a stick!" Sirius exclaimed, and then a dreamy look crossed his eye, "Wouldn't it be lovely to have Christmas on a stick?" he said happily, and Lily rolled her eyes. Only Sirius could have such rapid mood swings so early in the morning.

"I've never thought of that actually," Hestia said, looking at Lily curiously, her head tilted to the side.

"Can you stop looking at me?" Lily said irritably, and they all chuckled, turning away from Lily.

* * *

That night, the Marauders had decided to prepare for full moon at the Heads dorm. Now that Lily knew, they wouldn't have to use the invisibility cloak and make it through a crowded Common room. Lily walked down the stairs and stumbled as she saw James, Sirius and Peter.

"Erm, hi?" she said awkwardly.

"Hello Lily-flower," Sirius said in a singsong voice.

"Can I ask what you're doing here?"

"Go ahead," Peter said cheekily, and Lily chuckled.

"What are you doing here?"

"See you didn't have to ask permission to ask," Sirius said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Answer the bloody question," she sighed, walking over to her desk.

"We are preparing for tonight," Sirius shrugged, and Lily stiffened a little. She nodded and walked towards the bookshelf, looking for the transfiguration textbook, which they never needed for class, so she left in the dorm.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked.

"I live here," she said, shaking her head, her ponytail bobbing from side to side, and she heard Sirius snort.

"I meant, what are you going to do tonight?" a slightly pink Peter asked.

"Transfiguration essay," she said, and the boys nodded.

"It's time," Sirius announced happily, "Let's go. Bye Lily-flower!" he yelled over his shoulder as he walked out of the Heads dorm.

"Good night Lily," Peter said, and Lily watched as he turned into a rat and scurried out of the dormitory, causing her to shudder. She pointed her wand at the carpet, cleaning it. She loved Peter, but nonetheless, no rats were going to be running around her dorm. James, who had been awfully quiet, walked over to Lily warily.

"I'll see you in the morning then," he said, running his hand through his hair.

"What is it?" she asked, standing up, cutting right to the chase. James rarely looked so worried and awkward.

"Well, I can't help but worry. Last time I went out for full moon I lost you. It's not going to happen again right?" he whispered the question, looking at the floor, and Lily's eyes softened.

"No, I cant do that again," she said, and put a finger under his chin, moving his face so he was looking in her eyes, "But nonetheless, be careful. I don't want to have to find another James. I'd have to hate that person for, what, six years?" she said, and James chuckled.

"Love you Lils," he said, kissing her forehead.

"Have fun. Be careful," she said, and walked up the stairs, "And come to my room so I can fix you when you get back," she grinned, before turning and walking up the stairs. James grinned after her and ran out of the dormitory, closing the door firmly behind him.

* * *

"So I was thinking of telling Hestia," Sirius said quietly under the invisibility cloak as they made their way through the castle.

"About the Animagus thing? Why the sudden urge?" James asked curiously.

"Well, I don't want her finding out like Lily-flower did, which is really unfair. And I don't want to lose her. I think, if I'm honest, I'll be able to keep her," Sirius said, looking down at the floor. He was bad at talking about his feelings, granted, he never did.

"I think that's a smart idea Pads," James said, messing up his hair, "It's better to be honest than have her find out some other way."

"Alright. I'll do it when we get back," he said. They made their way to the Whomping Willow and James pulled off the invisibility cloak, putting it in his pocket, before removing his cloak as he always did.

"Ready?" he whispered to Sirius, who nodded.

* * *

"Hey Lils," James said, walking into her room that night. Lily, who'd been reading a muggle book, Sherlock Holmes, jumped and looked over at James, a smile spreading across her face.

"You're back!" she said happily, walking over to him to survey the damage. She pointed her wand at the few cuts and bruises on James before wrapping her arms around his torso. James grinned happily.

"What did I do to deserve you?" he said happily, ruffling her hair.

"Put up with me hating you for so many years," she laughed, and let go of him.

"Touché, that was a pain in the bum," he said, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"Remus in the hospital wing?" she said curiously, and James nodded, "Everyone alive?" James laughed and nodded and watched as Lily visibly relaxed.

"Lils we've been doing this for a while. Have some faith in us?"

"I have faith. It's just going to take some time to get used to that's all," she shrugged, and James looked down at her happily.

"Sirius is telling Hestia today," James said quietly, and saw Lily roll her eyes, "What?"

"You'll see."

* * *

"HESTIA JONES!" Sirius yelled up the stairs of the girls' dormitories. Boys couldn't go up there. It was extremely irritating. Sirius knew he was waking up the whole of Gryffindor Tower, but didn't really care, "HESTIA JONES!"

"WHAT?" he heard Hestia scream, and chuckled.

"COME DOWN HERE!" he screamed, and heard Hestia groan.

"Sirius Black I was sleeping!" she whined, walking down in her long pajama pants and long sleeved shirt. After all, it was still cold.

"But I need to talk to you!"

"I figured that out for myself believe it or not," Hestia grumbled, and Sirius barked a laugh, "Speak."

"No, not here," he said, grabbing her hand.

"At least let me get dressed! I can't walk around looking like this!" she squealed, looking down at her pajamas, "I look like a mess!"

"No you look gorgeous. You always do," Sirius said, kissing her on her blushing cheek, "Now let's go." Sirius dragged a sleepy, grumpy Hestia out of the portrait hole.

"Why cant we talk in the morning?" she whined, leaning on Sirius. Sirius wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Well it wouldn't do to change my mind now, you're already awake," Sirius grinned down at Hestia, who groaned.

"It's so late. Or early. What time is it?" she said, a crinkle forming between her brows as she frowned.

"Don't frown it ruins your pretty face," he said, tapping her in between the eyebrows, and Hestia swatted his hand away, "it's about 2 I think?"

"TWO IN THE MORNING! SIRIUS BLACK YOU BLOODY WANKER!" she yelled, pushing at him. Sirius laughed, dodging Hestia's slaps, "I hate you," she said, crossing her arms.

"Ah love, don't say that! What'll I do without you?" he said dramatically, clutching at his chest, and Hestia chuckled.

"You could finally date James," she grinned.

"He's taken, it breaks my heart, but its true," Sirius said sarcastically, wiping at an imaginary tear, and Hestia giggled.

"Well there's always McGonagall!" she said cheerfully.

"Oh of course! Minerva. She wants me," Sirius said, and Hestia rolled her eyes, smirking.

"I'm sure she does. Where are we going?" she asked curiously. They were by the portrait of Barnes The Noble.

"A special place," Sirius grinned, and started to pace back and forth, his eyes closed.

"What in the name of Merlin are-oh!" Hestia said, as a door appeared out of nowhere. Sirius snickered and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the room, "Sirius Black, if you brought me here to do…stuff, its to bloody early!" she whined, and Sirius laughed.

"Well, not that that's a bad idea," he winked, and Hestia blushed, " but that's not why I brought you here." Sirius looked down at the floor, and started to play with his fingers. Hestia had never seen Sirius nervous before; it was quiet enjoyable.

"Go ahead," she said encouragingly.

"I don't know how you're going to react," he said, looking down at the floor.

"You're especially cute when you're nervous," Hestia chuckled, walking over and pinching Sirius' cheek, "Now go ahead," she said, and Sirius looked up at her, and Hestia saw the fear and blind panic in his eyes.

"Well, okay. So, Moony's a werewolf," Sirius said, and looked up to see Hestia shrug.

"I had an inkling, is that all?" she said, and Sirius shook his head. Sirius had asked Remus if he could tell Hestia, and he had agreed. He was a lot less nervous now that Hestia hadn't run screaming after hearing about Remus' situation.

"No, I have, well, um, I don't know how to say it!" he yelled, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Well, you open your mouth, and words come out," she said, matter-of-factly, and Sirius laughed, "Sirius whatever it is I'll be fine, and I will not dump you," she said, and Sirius looked up at her, his eyes twinkling.

"Really?"

"Obviously you idiot," Hestia said, rolling her eyes, and Sirius grinned, "why would you think I would?"

"Well it's why Lily ditched James," he said, and saw Hestia's eyes widen.

"OH! So I'm finally finding out the big secret?" she said, and Sirius grinned.

"Yes, well," said Sirius, taking a deep breath, "I'mananimagus,"

"Bless you"

"No!" Sirius laughed, "I said, I'm an Animagus."

"An _Animagus? _But that's not possible I've looked at the list of registered Animagi!" Hestia said, surprised.

"Well, we're not registered," he muttered, and to his immense surprise, saw Hestia roll her eyes.

"Of course you're not," she chuckled, and Sirius' eyebrows shot up towards his hairline, "What does Remus's condition have to do with this?"

"Well, we learnt so we could keep him company," Sirius said awkwardly.

"You mean, you guys become animals around him so you can hang out?" she said, and Sirius nodded, still looking at the floor, "and you were scared to tell me this because you thought I would dump you like Lily dumped James?" she said.

"Sirius Black doesn't get scared," he grinned, and Hestia laughed. He looked up at her, shocked, and she smiled at him.

"You were scared. But that's okay. I don't mind, I mean, sure it's not the safest thing, and Lily would definitely ditch James over something like this because of her rule frenzy and her paranoia, but I'm not about to dump you," she said quietly, taking Sirius' hand.

"Really?" he said happily, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"It's like you don't know me." Sirius pulled Hestia towards him and kissed her. He felt Hestia's lips turn up in a smile, and he deepened the kiss. Hestia put her arms around his neck and pulled herself up against him. When they were both in desperate need for oxygen, they broke apart, but Sirius didn't release his hold around Hestia.

"Thank you," he said, smiling sweetly down at her.

"Are you serious?" she asked incredulously, and Sirius grinned.

"Why yes, love, I am." Hestia rolled her eyes as Sirius grinned cheekily down at her.

"So what animal are you?" she said excitedly, bouncing up and down. Sirius couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked with her chocolate hair tied up, in her warm pajamas, fluffy slippers and wide chocolate eyes.

"I'm a dog"

"I already knew that," she said, winking, and Sirius laughed freely, "prove it," she said, a challenging tone in her voice.

"Do you not believe me?"

"I do, but I need proof. I'm a hands on person," she said, and she saw Sirius's eyes twinkle.

"How hands on?"

"Oh shut up," she said, blushing, and Sirius grinned, kissing her quickly, "show me!"

"Yes O' glorious leader," Sirius said sarcastically, letting go of Hestia, who was smiling widely at him. Hestia watched as his skin rippled, and soon, a large, black dog replaced her boyfriend. Hestia squealed and took a step back, and the dogs tail started to wag.

"Stop laughing at me you bloody dog," she said, and the dog barked, and Hestia waved her hands at him, "shut up! Someone might hear you!" Hestia saw the dogs' eyes roll and chose to ignore it, "do you do tricks?" she said excitedly, jumping up and down, "Let's try. Sit," she said. The dog rolled its eyes and sat down, and Hestia walked over, patting it on the head, "good boy," she said, and the dog barked, wagging its tail again. It got up and rested its paws on her shoulders, and Hestia rolled her eyes, "this is a lot more romantic when you're human."

The dog barked and licked her from her chin to her hairline, and Hestia pushed it off her, wiping her face as the dog turned back into her boyfriend, who was laughing, "I hate you Sirius Black!" she yelled at him, wiping the dog spit off her face. Sirius laughed and walked over to her, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her to him.

"I know," he grinned.

* * *

"PRONGSIE!" Lily woke up to hear Sirius' voice yelling up the stairs. She groaned and turned to look at the clock. 5am. What. The. Hell.

"Sirius Black what the hell!" she screamed as she walked down the stairs.

"Good morning Lily-flower!" he said cheerfully, picking her up and swinging her around.

"What's good about it? I woke up to a bloody dog yelling," she said grumpily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Sirius laughed, dressed in his pajamas, and she narrowed her eyes at him, "Why the bloody hell are you so happy?"

"Someone's not a morning person," James chuckled as he walked down his stairs, his hair a mess.

"It's FIVE!" she whined, and James chuckled, before turning to Sirius.

"Why are you yelling?"

"I told her!" he said happily, "and she doesn't hate me!" Sirius saw Lily roll her eyes and turned to look at her, "what?"

"It's like you don't know her," she said grumpily. Sirius stuck his tongue out at her, and turned back to James.

"Isn't that amazing?"

"I'm happy for you Pads," James said, yawning, but grinning at Sirius all the same.

"I know right! I'm going to tell Moony now. Au Revoir senorita!" he said, bowing down before Lily, who rolled her eyes.

"That's two different languages Sirius," she said, and Sirius just laughed, walking out of the portrait hole, "I hate him," she said, looking at James, who guffawed.

"Morning tomato," he said, kissing Lily on the top of her head.

"Tomato?" James shrugged in response.

"Morning pumpkin," she grinned, and James turned red.

"I wasn't fat as a baby"

"Sure you weren't," she said, rolling her eyes, and James blushed deeper. Lily laughed, and kissed James' cheek before walking up her stairs, wanting to go back to sleep. She closed the door and hurt a groan, and pulled it open quickly to see James holding his nose, "Why are you here?"

"I'm hurt Lils," he said, holding his nose and looking at her with tear filled eyes, and Lily laughed at the double meaning. Yes, that is how tired she was, "and I came up here to be with my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend wants to sleep," she whined, and James grinned at her.

"I wasn't going to stop you," he said happily, grabbing Lily's hand and pulling her towards the bed.

"James I'm not going to do anything with you," she said in a warning tone as she sat down on the bed, and saw James turn slightly pink.

"I wasn't suggesting, well, that. I was just, well, oh never mind," he sighed, making to walk out of the room, but Lily laughed, pulling him back. She crawled under the covers and pulled James onto the bed, cuddling next to him.

"If you disturb me I'll kill you," she muttered, and James grinned, putting his arms around her.

* * *

"Let's go down for breakfast," Lily said, pulling on James' hand two hours later when they woke up.

"Let's go in our jammies," he said happily, and Lily giggled.

"Jammies?"

"Yes, these are jammies," he said, rolling his eyes as he gestured to his pajama pants, covered in Quaffles, Snitches and Bludgers, and his short-sleeved Gryffindor shirt.

"Why are we eating in our jammies?" she asked, as James dragged her to the door.

"I'll tell Hestia, Alice, Frank, Pete and Sirius to as well," he said happily. James picked up his wand and multiple stags erupted from it, running off in different direction to tell their friends about their breakfast plans. Lily looked after the stags and pulled her wand out, producing a patronus. Her silver doe stood in front of them and Lily looked at it curiously.

"Am I the only person who thinks its odd?" she asked, turning to look at James, who was looking at the doe.

"I like your patronus," he said, aghast, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I meant our patronus compatibility," she said.

"I like it," he said happily, putting his arm around Lily. Lily sighed and flicked her wand, her patronus vanishing.

"What are you wearing?" McGonagall asked sternly, her lips pressed into a tight line, as she walked over to the eight Gryffindors dressed in their pajamas.

"JIM-JAMS!" Sirius yelled happily, and McGonagall looked down at him, trying not to laugh.

"Jim-jams?" Hestia giggled, and Sirius turned to look at her incredulously.

"That is what they are"

"They're jammies," James said, rolling his eyes.

"Jim-Jams!"

"Jammies!"

"Jim. Jams."

"Jammies."

"Let's go with pajamas shall we?" Frank said, chuckling, and the two boys turned to look at him.

"No! They're jim-jams!"

"No Pads, you're wrong, they're jammies!"

"Does this really matter? Why are you wearing them?" McGonagall asked sternly, her mouth twitching in her attempt not to laugh.

"Would you rather we take them off?" Sirius winked, and McGonagall blushed deep red, much to the amusement of everyone in the vicinity.

"Sirius Black, can you stop hitting on her while I'm around?" Hestia grumbled, and Sirius laughed, putting his arm around her and kissing her cheek.

"Jealous love?"

"No, it's just irritating," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I say you're jealous,"

"I say you're stupid"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know, I was just saying"

"Hestia Jones."

"Sirius Black."

"Lily Evans!" Lily said cheerfully, and they burst out laughing.

"Why, may I ask, are you in your jammies at breakfast?" Dumbledore said, walking over to them.

"SEE! THEY'RE JAMMIES!" James bellowed defiantly, looking over at Sirius, with a triumphant expression on his face, who rolled his eyes.

"They're jammies to people who aren't as cool as me," Sirius said, and then looked up at Dumbledore, giving him a cheeky smile, to which Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Albus what are you talking about, they're jim-jams," McGonagall said, rolling her eyes, and Sirius grinned at her.

"MINERVA, MY LOVE! It's like we're meant to be!" Sirius yelled happily, and Hestia smacked her palm to her forehead. Dumbledore chuckled happily as McGonagall's lips pursed into a tight line. McGonagall walked away with a huff, and Dumbledore followed, after winking at Sirius.

"This is such a stupid argument," Alice grumbled, picking at her bacon, "because they're obviously called neither. They're PJ's."

"BOLLOCKS!"

"THEY ARE NOT CALLED PJ'S!"

"Damn it Alice," Lily groaned, smacking Alice on the back of the head as Hestia slapped her palm to her forehead.

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" James asked, adjusting his scarf. It was time for their Hogsmeade visit, and Lily walked down the stairs, wary. She wasn't sure she wanted to go back to Hogsmeade after what happened the last time, but she was going because in order for her to move on, she had to know it was safe.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said, walking over to James.

"I'll keep you safe," James said protectively, and Lily sighed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, feeling safe.

"I know," she smiled, and James felt his stomach flip. They walked to the Entrance Hall, and saw Sirius, Hestia, Remus and Peter standing there.

"HESTIA JONES!" Sirius yelled, and Hestia covered her ears.

"Sirius I'm right here!"

"I know, I just felt like yelling," he shrugged, and Hestia rolled her eyes. How had she ended up with someone so stupid? Lily laughed and walked over to Hestia, linking her elbow through Hestia's.

"Looks like we're the only two females today," Lily said, and she saw Hestia roll her eyes.

"Testosterone city here we come!" she said sarcastically, and Lily laughed.

"Excuse me?" Remus gasped.

"You're excused," Peter said cheekily, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Okay, so us ladies are going to go over there," Hestia said, pointing towards the clothes store, causing Lily to groan, "and we will meet you gents at the Three Broomsticks in an hour," she said, before turning around.

"Will you be okay?" James said worriedly, grabbing Lily's elbow.

"I'll live," she said, and realizing her choice of words, changed them quickly, "I mean, yes, I'll be fine." James nodded, still worried, and watched as the two girls made their way to the boutique.

"It'll be fine Prongs," Remus said, throwing his arm around James' shoulder, "Let's go to Zonkos I'm low on supplies."

"Lily this is so cute!" Hestia squealed, holding up yet another set of dress robes, these ones a shocking pink, and Lily sighed. She didn't need to say anything. Hestia could come to a clothes store with a muggle photograph of someone and it wouldn't have made much difference; she would've been just as loud and exuberant, "Should I get it? I don't know, I mean, I'd never wear it. But still it's adorable! But this one's adorable as well! And so were the last three. Oh this is so hard," she mumbled, and Lily rolled her eyes.

There was a loud bang and their heads snapped up, "Not again."

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm traveling tomorrow so if I don't update for a few days, it's because of the traveling, my apologies. Have a great week! (:**


	18. Wrong and Write

**Hello! Sorry for the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. I couldn't resist [laughs evilly] Anyhow, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Still not owning Harry Potter**

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_There was a loud bang and their heads snapped up, "Not again." _

* * *

"Death Eaters?" Hestia breathed, dropping all the dresses and running over to Lily, both girls with their wands drawn. There was a high-pitched scream from outside that made Lily's skin crawled and her stomach dropped.

"Is there a back exit?" Lily asked the shopkeeper urgently, who shook her head frantically, and disapparated.

"Bloody coward," Hestia screamed, and Lily shook her head.

"Go Hest. Disapparate. I have to stay. I'm head girl. Get out!" Lily yelled as she ran to the door, but Hestia shook her head, following her friend. The girls pushed the door open slightly and looked down the street for Death Eaters, and, seeing none, carefully stepped out, "Wait this is stupid," Lily said, and tapped Hestia's head, before tapping her own, feeling as if something had been spilt over her head, trickling down her body. They were now invisible. She grabbed Hestia's hand, and the two of them trudged up the snowy street, looking around for signs of people, Hogwarts and not Hogwarts.

"Do you think the boys are okay?" Hestia whispered.

"They're fine," Lily said sternly, not wanting to think about the other option, which made her nauseated at the thought. They came to a stop in front of the Three Broomsticks and Lily sucked in a gust of air. Lord Voldemort himself was standing, looking around.

"There's someone here," he said in a high voice that made Lily's hair stand on end. His eyes swept over the area where Lily and Hestia were standing, and a smirk appeared on his face, "Clever," he muttered, and waved his wand, leaving Lily and Hestia completely visible.

"Mudblood!" Bellatrix shrieked gleefully, standing next to Voldemort, Rodulphus Lestrange at her side.

"Mudblood, eh?" Voldemort said in an extremely quiet voice, sounding even more dangerous than if he had yelled it, "Let's have some fun shall we?"

* * *

"LET ME GO!" James yelled, fighting off the arms of the teachers of Hogwarts. Once Sirius and James had realized Lily and Hestia hadn't made it back, they had been uncontrollable. The teachers had contained Remus and Peter, but James and Sirius were unstoppable.

"BLOODY HELL!" Sirius shrieked, pulling against the restraining arms of Slughorn and Flitwick.

"Everyone's back EXCEPT them!" James yelled, turning around to glare at Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall started soothingly, but James yelled.

"NO! SHE'S OUT THERE! AGAIN!" he shrieked, shaking off their arms. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sirius, who broke free of the binding curse the teachers had put on him, and the two of them sprinted towards the gates, only to be knocked over.

"DAMN PROTECTIVE ENCHANTMENT!" Sirius yelled, turning to Dumbledore, "REMOVE IT!"

"Mr. Black," McGonagall started, but stopped.

A shriek of agony sounded through the grounds, and James' face paled. Lily.

* * *

"Stop! Please stop!" Hestia sobbed, restrained by the arms of some Death Eaters, and being forced to watch them torture Lily.

"Is the ickle Head Girl in pain? Does it hurt?" Bellatrix cackled, as she watched Lily in the snow gleefully. A smile spread across Voldemorts face and he pointed his wand at Lily once more, a gash appearing on her arm. Lily whimpered as blood seeped out of her arm into the snow around her.

"See how dirty it is?" he murmured, and the onlookers cackled with laughter, as Hestia sobbed. Lily put her hand underneath her robes and pulled out her wand discreetly, "I wouldn't try Evans," Voldemort said dangerously. Lily closed her eyes, he knew Legilimency, "yes mudblood. I do." Voldemort was enjoying himself. She tucked her wand back into her robes, not wanting to lose it, and Voldemort grinned evilly, "_Crucio!" _

Lily's screams ricocheted from every surface as he cruciated her, again.

* * *

"Mr. Potter you have to stay here!" Flitwick said, trying to calm down James, who had been placed under a body-bind curse by Dumbledore to make sure both he, and Sirius, stayed inside the castle. Dumbledore and McGonagall had run out, wands drawn, to help Lily and Hestia, but that didn't bring any comfort to James, or Sirius.

"Like hell we have to stay here!" Sirius hissed, struggling to move, but wasn't able to. Flitwick sighed, and James saw that he, too, was extremely worried.

* * *

"Tom." Voldemort turned around quickly to see Dumbledore standing there, and Hestia saw the fear in his eyes. Lily was unconscious on the floor, after being cruciated four times and with cuts all over her body. McGonagall, who was standing behind Dumbledore, was looking at Lily with tears in her eyes.

_Please be alive, _Hestia begged silently, looking down at Lily, who hadn't even twitched since she had passed out.

"Dumbledore," Voldemort hissed, and with one last wave of his wand, cutting Lily's leg, he disapparated, his Death Eaters following suite. Hestia, who was now free, fell down next to her best friend. She had not been hurt due to her pureblood status, but they had slapped her across the face for sobbing.

"Lily! Lily!" she yelled, shaking her friend, who still wouldn't stir.

"Ms. Jones," Dumbledore said quietly, "we need to get to the hospital wing," he said, and Hestia nodded, tears streaming down her face, holding Lily's hand, "you need a calming drought," he said gently, as Hestia's breaths came out rapidly as she held Lily's hand. Hestia didn't respond, and Dumbledore conjured up a large stretcher, so Lily could be on it, with Hestia sitting next to her.

"Oh Merlin," James whimpered, jumping up and running towards Lily as the stretcher floated through the gate of Hogwarts, with Hestia on it holding Lily's hand, McGonagall standing next to her, and Dumbledore trailing behind. He saw the blood, and a passed out Lily, and tears started to flow down his face quickly, "is she?" he choked out, brushing Lily's hair out of her eyes.

"No, she's alive," said Dumbledore quietly, watching James and Lily.

"You're okay, you're okay," Sirius said soothingly, stroking Hestia's hair, as Hestia threw herself on him. He closed his eyes and fought back the urge to cry, then took Hestia's hand and walked towards Lily, "Lily?"

"We need to get her to the hospital wing!" McGonagall cried, tears flowing down her cheeks as she looked at the still Lily. She waved her wand, and the stretcher started to float towards the hospital wing. James jumped onto the stretcher.

"Ms. Jones you should come too," Dumbledore said, and Hestia nodded, walking behind the stretcher with Sirius.

* * *

"When will she wake up?"

"She's been out a long time"

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes Mr. Potter"

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Yes Mr. Black"

"Can she hear us?" Lily felt a shaking hand on hers.

"I don't know Ms. Jones"

"Lils?" Lily heard James' voice on her other side. A small moan escaped her, and she heard their sighs of relief, "Lily."

Lily's eyelids fluttered and she found herself looking up at all her friends, crowded around her bed. James cried out in relief and kissed her on the mouth, before pulling back and brushing her hair out of her face.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked soothingly from by her right knee.

"Do I have to answer?" she said hoarsely, and her friends chuckled. As she thought of it, a hand handed her a glass of water from by her head. She looked up at Sirius, "Merci senor," she grinned, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Two languages Lily-flower."

"Didn't stop you did it?" she said quietly, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but I'm cool"

"I thought you were Sirius,"

"Is her brain affected?" Alice said jokingly from beside Hestia, and Lily smiled at her.

"Okay, I said you could stay until she woke up. She is awake, scat," Madam Pomfrey said, bustling through the hoard of people surrounding Lily's bed, "No buts!" she said, sensing their next words, and Lily saw her friends groan.

"I'll be here first thing in the morning okay?" Hestia said, kissing Lily's forehead.

"Same here, don't party too hard," Alice winked

"Bye Lils," Remus said, patting her knee, and heading out with Peter, who had been silent the whole time. Frank smiled at her, clapped James on the back, and ran to catch up with Alice.

"Bye Lily-flower," Sirius said, squeezing her hand, "Coming?" he asked, turning to James, who shook his head.

"Give me a minute," he said quietly, and Sirius nodded.

"I'll see you in your dorm," Sirius said, and bowed to Lily before walking out of the room.

"Poppy can I have a minute please?" James asked Madam Pomfrey, who huffed, but walked away all the same.

"Hi," Lily croaked, and James looked down at her with pained eyes, "How are you?"

"Me? I'm not the one who got tortured and sliced back there!" he said, wincing at his own words, "how are you? I'm sorry!" he said, burying his head in the mattress.

"I'll be fine James. Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I shouldn't have left you!" he said, looking back up at her, and Lily saw the tears in her eyes, "it was stupid! Especially after last time, it was such a stupid thing to do! Lily I'm so sorry!" a sob escaped his chest, and Lily raised her hand, with great difficulty, wiping away his tears.

"It wasn't your fault James. And even if you had been there you wouldn't have been able to do anything. Don't beat yourself up," she said quietly, "go sleep okay? You'll be better in the morning"

"I don't want to leave you," he said quietly.

"James, I'm honestly just going to sleep. I'm exhausted. I wont be good company anyway," she said, and James rolled his eyes, "go sleep please? For me?"

"Cheat," he muttered, smiling slightly, and Lily beamed at him.

"I'm going to need a good night kiss you know," Lily said cheekily, and James chuckled, leaning down to kiss her.

"Anything else?" he asked, and Lily smiled.

"That's alright for now"

"For now?" James said, raising an eyebrow, and Lily rolled her eyes

"Head out of the gutter James"

"Good night love"

"Good night James."

* * *

Lily got out of the hospital wing a few days later. There were no scars remaining from the cuts she had received, and she was grateful for that. She didn't need more reminders. Nobody had been alerted of her release from the hospital wing, as they were all in class, and Lily sighed. She had missed two days of NEWT level education.

"Ms. Evans!" she turned around quickly to see Dumbledore walking down the hallway.

"Hi Professor," she said politely, and Dumbledore smiled down at her.

"I instructed your professors to send your work to your dormitory," he said, and Lily sighed in relief, much to Dumbledore's amusement, "see you at dinner," he said, walking away, and Lily walked to her dormitory. She opened the door and smiled, walking into the familiar room, and sat down at her desk that had a list of work she had missed. She sat down at her desk and got into her work. That is how James found her when he got back to the dorm, after being informed that she had been released from the hospital wing.

"LILY!" he said happily, and Lily jumped, and then grinned up at James. James ran over to her and picked her up, pulling her into a hug.

"I missed you too," she giggled, hugging James tightly.

"I didn't say I missed you," he said, and Lily gasped.

"I hate you, put me down,"

"No thanks I'm good," he grinned, kissing her forehead.

"You're incorrigible"

"I know," he grinned, and leaned down to kiss Lily.

* * *

Dinner at the Great Hall involved a lot of hugging on Lily's part. It seemed like everyone at the school, except the Slytherins of course, wanted to hug and squeal about how she was okay.

"I've had enough," Lily groaned after a fourth year Ravenclaw walked away after squealing for a few minutes.

"Ah Lily-flower. Savor in the attention!" Sirius said through his mouthful of food.

"Lily hates attention," James said, and Lily grinned at him, squeezing his hand.

"Why is Lily so happy today?" Remus asked, grinning at Lily.

"Lily is just happy," Lily shrugged.

"Why is Lily referring to herself in the third person?" Frank asked, amused.

"Because everyone else was referring to Lily in third person," Hestia said, rolling her eyes.

"Hestia Jones, you're the only one who understands Lily," Lily said, grinning at her friend.

"Ouch Lily," Alice said.

"Alice understands Lily too," Lily said, nodding reassuringly, and Alice grinned.

"I think Lily's boyfriend is insulted," Hestia smirked, looking at James, who was glaring at Lily incredulously.

"Lily's boyfriend needs to shut up," Lily said cheekily, and James narrowed his eyes at her.

"Lily should be afraid," Remus said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, and they laughed as James turned to glare at Remus.

"Moony! Whose side are you on?"

"I don't think I should answer that," Remus grinned, winking at Lily.

"Your attention please!" they all turned to see Dumbledore at his podium, and a hush fell over the Great Hall, "I have a few things to say. Firstly, as you all know, Lord Voldemort is on the rise, and has attacked some of our own," Lily felt every eye in Hogwarts glance at her and turned red, "so you all need to be careful, and aware. These attacks have also led us to cancel the rest of the Hogsmeade visits this year," he said. Protests sounded around the hall and Lily sighed, looking up at Dumbledore.

"Professor are you sure?" she asked, and Dumbledore's eyebrows rose, surprised.

"Ms. Evans, why, it was you who has been tortured and you want to continue these Hogsmeade visits?" Lily felt James flinch beside her and cleared her throat.

"Well, it's the only opportunity for the students to leave the castle, and have a break from the stress of schoolwork, OWLS and NEWTS."

"What do you suggest?" Dumbledore said, looking at her in interest.

"How about we have protective enchantments, like the ones surrounding Hogwarts, placed in Hogsmeade during our visits?" she suggested, and Dumbledore nodded, pleased.

"An excellent idea. Who agrees with Ms. Evans?" he asked, and Lily saw almost the whole population of Hogwarts raise their hands, or stand up, or cheer, "it's decided then," he said with finality, and Lily smiled, "One last thing to discuss. Lord Voldemort possesses the ability to perform old magic, called Legilimency," he said, and Lily shuddered at the memory. James placed his arm protectively around Lily as he saw her shudder, "Who knows what that is?" Lily's hand shot up in the air and Dumbledore smiled, "In simple words Ms Evans if you will." Lily turned red as people chuckled, before clearing her throat.

"Basically, it's the ability to invade someone's mind sir," she said, and Dumbledore nodded, satisfied with her answer.

"Precisely. This means he can invade your dreams, read your mind, know your thoughts, your secrets, and use everything you hold dear to you against you," he said, "the only way to resist is," he said, looking at Lily.

"Occlumency sir," she said.

"Exactly. To help you resist him, you have to clear your mind in order to protect it while you sleep. For this task, I have decided to assign you all Occlumency diaries," he said, and with a wave of his wand, books appeared in front of all of them. Lily saw Sirius groan and giggled, Sirius hated writing, "you will write in this every night before you sleep. Nobody will be checking, but I suggest, for your own safety that you do.

* * *

"James you have to!" Lily sighed, and James groaned.

"I don't want to talk to a bloody book about my feelings," he said, and Lily chuckled.

"It's good for you!"

"I don't want to!" James whined, as Lily shoved the book at him that night in their common room.

"How about, if you write in it, you get a prize," she said, talking to him as if he were a child.

"What prize?" he asked happily.

"I don't know!"

"Can I choose my reward?" he asked, and Lily sighed.

"Yes James you can choose your reward."

"How about a good snog session?" he said cheekily, and Lily blushed.

"You're such a male," she groaned.

"Deal?"

"Yes, alright, fine James. Whatever. But not after you write, because then you'd have to write again because your mind wouldn't be clear. Go clear your mind," she said, waving him away, and James happily walked up the stairs to his bedroom

"Good night love!"

"Whatever James."

* * *

"HESTIA JONES I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE!" Sirius whined, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"You're such a baby Sirius. Just talk about your feelings," she said, and Sirius pouted. They were sitting in the Marauders dormitory, with Remus and Peter.

"Pads doesn't talk about his feelings," Peter squeaked from his bed, holding the Occlumency diary open on his lap.

"Well he'll have to," Hestia said.

"Or what?"

"Or, Sirius Black, I will cut you off," she grinned, as Remus and Peter laughed.

"Fine. Make me write about my stupid feelings," Sirius groaned, and Hestia giggled.

"I'm going to go write now, good night boys," Hestia said, standing up. She kissed her boyfriend on the cheek before sauntering out of the dormitory.

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO WRITE!" Sirius whined. Remus and Peter rolled their eyes, and drew their curtains, "THAT'S RUDE!"

* * *

"Alice what the hell do I write about?" Hestia groaned, looking down at her stupid journal.

"I don't know! Feelings? How your day went? Sirius Black?" Alice smirked, and Hestia threw a pillow at her.

"I bet yours is all about Frank Longbottom,"

"So what if it is?" Alice grinned cheekily, "and no. I'm planning on introducing myself, talking about how I feel about Voldemort, my friends, and THEN Frank," she said, and Hestia snorted.

"I bet his will be the largest portion"

"Oh shut up Hestia"

"I bet Lily knows exactly what to write about," Hestia said, rolling her eyes, and Alice snorted in agreement.

* * *

"James!" Lily said, barging into James' room. He had actually been writing in his diary.

"Yes light of my life?" he replied, and Lily turned bright red.

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Why not?" he shrugged, and Lily shook her head.

"I don't know what to write about!" she whined, and James guffawed. Lily walked over and sat down next to James, leaning on his shoulder, "What are you writing about?" she asked, looking down at the journal, with James promptly snapped shut.

"It's private," he said, and Lily raised her eyebrows at him, causing him to grin.

"But I don't know what to write about!"

"I thought you, Lily Evans, always had something to say," he chuckled, earning a smack in the arm from Lily.

"James Potter this isn't funny! What can I possibly write about?"

"You'll think of something. Now go you're ruining my mind clearing time," he said, shoving Lily with his shoulder. Lily huffed and stood up.

"Fine. Kick me out. Maybe I'll take away your prize," she said, and James snorted.

"I'd get my prize anyway," he said, rolling his eyes, and Lily snorted, before closing his door behind him.

* * *

"Okay Sirius, what are you going to write about?" Remus asked a pouting Sirius. He hadn't stopped pouting since Hestia had left.

"I don't know!"

"Me neither," Peter said, pushing his curtains aside.

"I have to agree with you two," Remus sighed.

"Moony? Not knowing what to write? It's the apocalypse!" Sirius gasped, and Remus snorted.

"Padfoot? Not knowing what to say? Now that's the apocalypse," Remus grinned, and Sirius stuck his tongue out at him.

"You're interrupting my concentration. Good-Bye!" Sirius said, drawing his curtains closed, and Remus rolled his eyes before shutting his own curtains.

**

* * *

James' Occlumency Journal**

Hello! I'm Head Boy James Potter, I'm seventeen years old…and I sound like an idiot. This is so stupid. I hate writing in diaries. No. This is a journal. I, James Potter, will never own a diary, because I am a man. That's right. Men do not own diaries, except maybe Moony because he's a special type of man.

You don't know who Moony is! (Well obviously, considering you're diary I MEAN journal). Moony is one of my best mates and his real name is Remus. Remus John Lupin. He's not my best mate, but he's one of my close ones. My best mate would be Padfoot, more formally known as Sirius Black. There's also Wormtail, or Peter Pettigrew. He's an odd bloke to be completely honest. Not that Pads and Moony are normal, believe me they are not, but Wormy's different. It's as if he worships the very ground Sirius and I walk on. It's understandable in my case of course. I'm just kidding, my head is not that inflated no matter what my girlfriend thinks.

Yes, my girlfriend, Lily Clare Evans. Oh speaking of she's just barged into my room. Say hello…good journal. Just a minute, must comfort the girlfriend. Okay she's gone now. She was whining about not knowing what to write in her stupid, useless journal. My apologies, don't take it to heart, it just seems really pointless. I must be going bonkers I'm apologizing to a diary I MEAN journal.

Back to the topic at hand, my beautifully magnificent girlfriend. As you can tell I'm in love with this girl. No helping it. Sorry dear journal I am taken. Go cry in a corner. That's right. Okay I am definitely losing my brilliant mind. LILY CLARE EVANS. Yes, so I'll start with our story. I have been in love with this redhead (she has red hair by the way) since I saw her on the Hogwarts Express when I was eleven. I noticed her because she stood out, well; anyone would with that hair and those eyes (they're green!). And ever since then I haven't been able to get her out of my head. I'll admit, I acted like a complete nutter around her, no wonder she hated me. Yes, Lily used to hate me. But she loves me now (I know this because she has said it. That's right) and I couldn't be happier. Well I would be if she had not been tortured a few days ago.

Stupid Lord Voldemort. Such a bloody wanker that bloke is. He kills my little sister, he tortures my girlfriend, he's the reason I barely see my parents, because he's bloody causing so much trouble. I swear, one day, in some way, I will put an end to him. Lily doesn't seem to understand that I'm worried about her. She's muggle born! They target muggle borns! And she goes ahead and tells Dumbledore to let us all back into Hogsmeade. I love that girl too much. I am going to fight back. There's this thing called the Order of the Pheonix, which is all for Voldemorts downfall. When I graduate, I am joining.

Anyway, I think my mind is significantly cleared for one night. And my hand is hurting. I'll talk/write to you later.

**

* * *

Lily's Occlumency Diary**

Hi! I'm Lily Clare Evans, muggle born Head Girl of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I do not know what the bloody hell to write in this diary. And I sound like a blithering idiot to be completely honest. Who introduces themselves so cheerfully? It's ridiculous. And I am talking to myself. A problem I seem to have. I hope I never pass that down to my children. So, I guess I'll clear my mind then.

I'm worried. Yes, I have managed to narrow everything down to those two words. I am worried. No wait, that's three. I'm going to use the excuse of it's symbolic to how my worry is growing. Wow I should be a philosopher that was brilliant, if I do say so myself. Oh now, my head is in danger of inflating. Well, what can be expected of me after a year with Sirius and James, who, last year, would have been referred to as Black and Potter. Sirius, my lovable moron, is dating my best friend, Hestia Jones, and I am dating James. I am dating James Potter. To think I used to fantasize about him falling off his broom or being eaten by a dragon. Good times.

I have three best friends. Hestia, Alice and Gwenog, but Hestia is by far the closest to me. Hestia Jones is the most eccentric and scatter minded person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Which is why I think she and Sirius make such an amazing couple. Don't tell Sirius I said that, he'd embarrass me by standing on a bloody table and screaming it to the world like he usually does. See what I have to put up with? He's also James' best mate. I'm getting ahead of myself. Next friend, Alice Prewett. She's currently dating Frank Longbottom and I swear the two of them are going to get married. Frank's nice. I don't know what to say about him honestly, I've never just talked to him, and Alice has always been there to stimulate conversation. Then there's Gwenog Jones. She and Hestia are cousins, incase you were wondering about the last names. Not that you would because you don't have a brain of your own. I mean that in the nicest way possible, not that it matters. I need therapy. Since you're a magical diary, therapy is a muggle thing, where someone helps you solve your mental problems. Anyway. Gwenog doesn't go to Hogwarts anymore, she got accepted into a Quidditch team called the Holyhead Harpies. I'm happy for her, I honestly am, but in a way I think her going out for it now is a bad idea. She hasn't completed her NEWTS, so if she ever decides to get a different job she wont be able to do anything. Other friend of importance is Remus John Lupin. He's actually one of the Marauders (James' group of friends, long story) but I consider him a close friend. Peter Pettigrew, I think is odd. Bottom line. Sirius Black I also consider a friend, just to clarify. He's extremely irritating but I love him for it. Him and Remus are like my lovable brothers.

James. Oh dear Merlin where do I start? How do you explain emotions after hating a bloke for six years and then falling in love with him? Yes, that is our relationship in a nutshell. I love him. That's all I can say. James bloody Potter has taken over my life.

Okay, so I am sleepy. I will "discuss" Voldemort in my next entry, as well as my torturing. I am leaving you at a cliff hanger _laughs evilly. _Bye!

**

* * *

Sirius' Occlumency Journal**

Hello book. I'm Sirius. Nice to meet you, do not hit on me I am taken. Try and resist my breathtaking good looks and my heart warming smile, they are all reserved for my one and only, Hestia Jones.

I do not know how to write in you. That sounds perverted doesn't it? You wouldn't know you're a book. Seriously (ha-ha I'm Sirius) I have no idea what to write. This is so stupid. What's the point? How is a bloody book going to help me clear my head? It's not as if everything's going to disappear. It's just going to make me think about all these things even more.

_Clears Mind_

Done.

Okay because Moony is glaring at me, I am going to have to write me. MOONY! Yes, okay Moony is one of my mates, real name is Remus John Lupin. He's a werewolf. I doubt I need his permission to tell you this. It's not like you're going to tell anyone. If you do I'll kill you. Be afraid. My best mate is Prongs, James Potter. He's head boy so he doesn't stay in here anymore, and I miss him. OH! I just talked about my feelings. I deserve a cookie for that…yum cookies! Moist cookies are the best. I love Christmas cookies. OH! Speaking of Christmas, Lily Evans. James is dating her after panting after her for six years. She looks like Christmas on a stick, red hair and green eyes. She is Hestia, my girlfriends, best friend.

Hestia Jones is the most spectacular person you will ever meet, not that you'll meet her because I don't want you stealing her. Are you a bloke? I don't know. I guess its up to me. Well, if you were a bloke I would probably kill you and not tell you about my girlfriend. So you're not a bloke. But, if you're a girl, then Hestia might get jealous. This is so hard! Okay, you are now a Wormtail. Let me see, Hestia Jones. Oh Merlin where do I start? She's, well, she's Hestia. That's all I can say.

YAY Moony's done writing. So I shall leave now. Goodbye!

**

* * *

Hestia's Occlumency Diary**

This is really awkward. I'm supposed to spill my feelings to a diary? I don't even tell my best friend most of my feelings. Don't tell her I'll never be able to live it down. Sigh, I guess I'll start with introductions. Hi I'm Hestia Jones, current and hopefully permanent girlfriend of the one and only Sirius Black, best friend of Lily Clare Evans who is probably going to marry James Potter. I'm not an optimist, I call them like I see them, and that (Lily and James getting married) seems inevitable. Another friend to note is Alice Prewett, who is sitting a bed away from me with her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she concentrates on what the write. I bet the word she's writing right now is Frank. I will never know if I won that bet. Let's say I did for my sake shall we? If only Sirius could see me now, talking to a diary. I'm the sane one in the relationship. I wonder what his diary looks like. Of course, he would never call it a bloody diary it would be a book. He will start his entry with "hello book". This is how well I know him.

I should probably write in paragraphs to organize this. I'm very scatterbrained so if I jump back and forth bear with me please…not that you'd do anything about it. Maybe I should enchant you to speak back, but then poor Lils would have competition. Right, so I was talking about friends. There's also Gwenog Jones. I don't know if I can call her a friend, she's family. She's my cousin sister and somehow we're best friends. Isn't that weird? In a good way of course…

I want to go to Sirius! I love him too much. It's frightening. I miss him all the time, and he's probably the best snog I've ever had. This is probably too much information to share on the first write (that sounds weird) but I think you'll have to deal with it. Hopefully your eyes/paper doesn't burn. Actually, hopefully it does. Yes I love you too. I miss Lily! She used to sleep in this dorm, before she became Heat Girl that is. I'm so happy for her about the HG thing but I miss her.

I'm also really worried about her. Okay, she specifically told me no to talk, or even _think _about this, but I can't hold it in any longer. Do you know what its like to see the person you love most in the world get tortured? I love Lily more than I could possibly love Sirius. No offence Sirius, but Lily's my other half. Sirius is just my partner. I had to stand there and watch her get cruciated. It is not a pleasant experience. I have done that twice. I am not going to do it any more. There's this order or something Dumbledore's always rambling on about, he rambles a lot, and I think I'm going to join it because from what I've gathered, its all aimed on stopping Voldemort from hurting our people ever again.

I am going to sleep now because I'm going to go watch Quidditch practice in the morning, with Lily, who doesn't know, but I will be waking her up and taking her anyway. Who cares right? Good night!

Hestia Jones (I am signing off because one day I will work for the _Prophet _and my name is worth something now)

**

* * *

Alice's Occlumency Diary**

Hi I'm Alice Prewett, hopefully I will be Alice Longbottom some day. Damn it! Hestia wins. Don't tell her I said that. Why am I warning you? It's not like you're going to jump off my lap and tell her. I'm sitting here with a look of extreme concentration on my face because I know Hestia doesn't want to write and if she sees me concentrating she will write. All I'm going to write about anyway is Frank. And also my friends, but you already know them, or I'm going to assume you do because it's a lot of writing for so late at night. I have decided to draw intricate doodles during this time because it's the first time, I think you need to get used to my extreme skills (this is where Hestia and Lily, if they were reading, would snort.)

Doodle time!

**

* * *

Remus' Occlumency Diary**

I, Remus John Lupin, werewolf, Messr. Moony of Moony, Wormtail Padfoot and Prongs (The Marauders), owns a diary. This is probably the saddest day of my life, but James would probably say that he knew I was that kind of man. Some great friends I have right? No that was completely sarcastic, my friends are the best. For one, they are illegal, unregistered Animagi because of my condition. Or my 'furry little problem' as James calls it. Which, people often take to mean I have a deranged bunny of some sort. Ah life. Sirius Black, my other completely insane friend, is probably the most eccentric person I know, along with his eccentric girlfriend. Merlin I would hate to live in their house. It would be so loud all the time, and there would be so much yelling, and it would be such a mess. Disgusting.

Lily and James, on the other hand, are probably the only couple I would willingly live with. Not because I love them the most, but because they're the most balanced. Lily's the neat one, James is not; it just works. I bet you my life that they will get married. Then there's Alice and Frank, who, personally, I don't know all too well. Frank is a great bloke; he ended up with us Marauders a lot this year because of Alice, who is Lily's friend. Alice seems like a lovely girl, but I haven't talked to her as much as I'd like to.

Sirius Black, that twat, has just closed his Occlumency diary. Ah, much better. One glare from me and he is back to normal. I have such an amazing influence. I deserve the house cup just for myself. Ah I can feel my head inflating.

I am pretty sure nobody is going to discuss the Voldemort situation this entry time, or whatever it's called, but I am not the rest of my friends. It's terrifying! It really is. I'm worried about my particular group of friends to be honest. Lily's been tortured twice; Voldemort obviously has some sort of thing with her. And James, he's the son of two Aurors, who have turned in multiple Death Eaters. Then there's Sirius, who is related to all these dark wizards. I sometimes worry that he might turn into them. Sirius is a wonderful person, don't get me wrong, and he's in Gryffindor, which proves me wrong, but it's the influence he's grown up around. It's just a worrying subject that's all. Those three are probably the ones I care about the most in a way. Oh! And, of course there's Wormtail. Ah how do we always manage to forget about him? He's great, but I haven't seen much of him this year. He's been gone a lot, and very secluded.

Okay so I'm tired now, and I really need to use the bathroom. I'll talk (?) later.

**

* * *

Frank's Occlumency Diary**

This Voldemort situation is crazy. It's made me think about everything; people I care about, the future, things I might never get to do. It adds a sort of Carpe Diem effect. We might not get to live our whole lives, might as well get a move on. So that's what led me to this conclusion.

I'm going to propose to Alice.

**

* * *

Hey! I wrote this sitting in a lounge at Singapore Airport. I hope you like the Occlumency Diary idea; I just thought it would be easier to characterize their thoughts. I'm not going to have all of them write in every chapter, and I might not even include them in every chapter, but I personally like the idea. I just did them in this chapter because I thought it was important to include all the characters in this chapter. Hope you liked it (: **


	19. Sensitive

**Hey everyone! Enjoy the chapter.**

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_This Voldemort situation is crazy. It's made me think about everything; people I care about, the future, things I might never get to do. It adds a sort of Carpe Diem effect. We might not get to live our whole lives, might as well get a move on. So that's what led me to this conclusion._

_I'm going to propose to Alice._

* * *

"Hestia Jones I am going to kill you," Lily whined. She was fully dressed and ready at 4:30 in the morning because her stupid best friend wanted to go watch Quidditch practice, "why didn't you wake up Alice?"

"I did. Alice is already down there with Frank," Hestia grinned, and put her arm around Lily's shoulder, "You need to learn to be more of a morning person. What are you going to do when your baby wakes up in the middle of the night?"

"Why do I have a baby?"

"For the sake of argument."

"Depends on who the father is and what time it is," Lily said, rubbing at her eyes.

"Any time of the night. And obviously the father is James," Hestia said, rolling her eyes, and Lily blushed deep red.

"James is a morning person so he'd deal with it," she said quietly, and Hestia laughed loudly

"I love how awkward I just made you by mentioning the possibility of you and James having sex," Hestia chuckled, and Lily slapped her in the arm.

"Shut up Hestia! What if someone hears you?"

"So what if they do?" Hestia grinned, twirling around as they made their way to the Quidditch Pitch. The weather was nice, as winter was ending, so the girls were simply in cardigans as opposed to their large jackets.

"Don't want them to get the wrong idea," Lily blushed.

"It's going to happen anyway Lily. You and James are going to have get married, have sex, and have beautiful babies, maybe not in that order," Hestia winked, and Lily smacked her on the arm.

"OI! No abusing my girlfriend," Sirius yelled from up in the air.

"She deserves it!" Lily yelled back, and saw Sirius roll his eyes.

"What were you doing?" he yelled down to Hestia

"I was teasing Lily about her and James having sex!" Lily gasped and slapped Hestia on the arm as Sirius howled with laughter. James, who had heard, and slightly slipped on his broom, flew over to them, and Lily saw that his face was almost as red as his jersey, "Speaking of," Hestia said, waggling her brows, and Lily smacked her on the arm, again.

"Lily-flower if you hit my girlfriend one more time!" Lily smirked and smacked Hestia's arm once more before heading up into the stands. She heard Sirius bark a laugh, "Well played Evans!"

"Pads we have to practice, the game's in a week!" James said, and Sirius sighed, before turning around to follow him.

"Excellent score mate," Sirius chuckled, "imaginary sex. Way to go." Sirius clapped a red James on the back, before zooming away.

The practice was long, in Lily's opinion. It only ended when James realized that classes were going to be starting in a half hour.

"Well done everyone. I say we have another practice like this tomorrow morning so we're prepared for the game against Hufflepuff," he said in a voice of authority.

"Bloody hell Prongs!" Sirius whined, but James ignored him. The team flew down and changed. When they were done, James walked out of the changing room with Sirius to see Lily, Hestia, Alice and Frank still sitting in the stands. James waved and saw Lily grin, before walking down to him.

"Hi," she said cheerfully, and James grinned down at her.

"Hello. I see you woke up especially early," he chuckled, and Lily groaned.

"Four bloody thirty in the morning!" she whined, and James laughed.

"So, about what I was discussing before," Hestia said quietly, winking at them before walking over to Sirius, and the two of them blushed.

"Why were you discussing that in the first place?" James asked, running a hand through his hair. Lily blushed a deeper red and cleared her throat.

"Well, Hestia was telling me I'd be a terrible mother because I hate waking up," she said, and James frowned.

"And we were having sex because?"

"Well how else do you make a baby?" Lily asked, and James ears turned bright red.

"So we're having sex, and a baby now?"

"Don't forget about getting married," Lily said without thinking, and clapped her hand over her mouth. James laughed at Lily's expression and pulled her hand from her mouth, kissing her instead.

"So marriage, sex and a baby?" he grinned.

"Not specifically in that order," Lily shrugged, and then blushed deep red, "I mean," she said, but James wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You should really stop talking," he chuckled, and Lily groaned, resting her head against his chest, "Although, I do prefer that order," he whispered in her ear, and Lily's head snapped up to see a mischievous glint in James' eyes.

"James Potter!"

"I love you too Lils," he grinned, kissing her forehead. Lily huffed and turned, walking away, but James grabbed her hand, and the two of them walked to the Great Hall together for breakfast.

"Ah aren't they sweet?" Hestia crooned. She and Sirius had been standing, watching their friends banter, unnoticed.

"I know something sweeter," he grinned down at her, and Hestia giggled.

"That, my dear, is the cheesiest thing you've ever said to me. And that's saying something," she chuckled, winding her fingers between Sirius' and walking towards the Great Hall.

"I bet if you spent a day with Moony you'd hear even more cheesy things," he snorted, and Hestia laughed.

"The good looking Marauder?"

"No, that would be me," Sirius said defiantly, narrowing his eyes at her, and Hestia rolled her eyes, "have you seen me?" Sirius chuckled, spreading his arms out, "Girls swoon over me,"

"Help, I can't breathe!" Hestia choked, and Sirius panicked, looking at her

"Why? What? What's wrong?" he panicked.

"Your inflated head is using up all the oxygen!" she wheezed, before grinning cheekily, kissing her dumbfounded boyfriends cheek and running away.

"HESTIA JONES!"

* * *

"Alice, I have to talk to you," Frank said awkwardly as he and Alice followed Sirius and Hestia into Hogwarts.

"Go ahead," she grinned, and Frank felt his stomach throb from nerves.

"Not now! Later," he squeaked, and Alice rolled her eyes

"Then why did you tell me now?" she chuckled, and Frank smiled. _Why do I not have the guts for this? _He sighed to himself, feeling the burning of the velvet box inside his robes.

* * *

"Did you write in your diary last night?" James asked

"Yes. I think I embarrassed myself. Good thing books can't speak," Lily said, rolling her eyes. James chuckled and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Clearly you haven't explored the Restricted Section in the Library," he said, and Lily leaned back to glare at him, and James stuttered, "Not that I have, I was just saying," he said nervously, and Lily giggled, much to James' surprise. Lily got up on her tiptoes and kissed James on the cheek.

"I'm sure you haven't," she said, and James chuckled, squeezing her tightly.

"So, when do I get my prize?" he whispered in her ear, and Lily felt butterflies explode in her stomach.

"I'm not sure," she choked out through the butterflies that were now flying up her esophagus.

"How about free period. We have it after lunch," he said quietly. Lily shrugged, and James groaned, "please?" Lily nodded and James grinned into the crook of her neck, "Now that's more like it." Lily smacked him on the shoulder and pulled away from him.

"Maybe I should dump you, you'll learn self control," she said as she walked towards the door, and James rolled his eyes.

"I have self control. I'm not snogging you right now am I?" he snickered, and Lily rolled her eyes, "and also, if you dumped me, we would never get to get married, have sex, and babies. Not in that order," he winked, and Lily smacked her palm to her forehead.

"How did I end up with you?" she said and James grinned.

"Aren't you just lucky?"

"Of course, every girl dreams of a git," she said cheekily, and James growled.

"Speaking of gits," James snorted, as Sirius waved at them in the Great Hall.

"You shouldn't talk about yourself, no wonder Lily-flower wouldn't date you," Sirius said, rolling his eyes as Lily laughed and sat down next to him. James sat on Lily's other side.

"Oh shut up," Lily said, smacking Sirius on the back of the head, "Only I'm allowed to call him a git or mention his inflated head," she chuckled, and James guffawed.

"Bloody hell Lily-flower that _hurt_,"Sirius whined, rubbing the back of his head.

"Lily, do not hit the boyfriend," Hestia said sternly, squeezing in between Lily and Sirius, kissing Sirius.

"I'm eating here!" Remus shrieked, covering his eyes as Hestia and Sirius got into it. Sirius waved his hand in Remus' direction and continued to kiss Hestia.

"Why the sudden snog session?" Peter asked queasily, looking anywhere but at the energetic couple.

"I have to second Wormy's question," Sirius said breathlessly as Hestia pulled away and turned to her food. Hestia shrugged, but Lily noticed there was something off about the shrug.

"Hest," Lily said quietly, but Hestia shook her head.

"Later," Hestia said, and Lily nodded worriedly. Lily frowned down at her food and James raised his eyebrows at her.

"What's wrong with Hestia?" he whispered

"She said later," she whispered back, and James nodded, and kissed her on top of her head. Alice squeezed in Remus and Peter, and smiled at Lily

"Hello," she said cheerfully, "Have you seen Frank?"

"I thought he was with you," James said, and Alice frowned.

"I haven't seen him since he wanted to talk to me on the way back from Quidditch," she said, looking around the hall.

"Maybe he had work to do," Lily suggested, still worried about what was wrong with Hestia. Alice nodded and stood up, grabbing her bag.

"Don't tell me you're going to go look for him?" Peter asked incredulously, looking up at Alice.

"Lils would you go look for James?" Alice asked.

"Probably"

"Hest would you look for Sirius?"

"I guess"

"Exactly," Alice said, looking down at Peter, before walking away. James, Sirius and Remus snickered at Peter, who was red.

"Oh leave him alone," Lily said, smiling at Peter, who grinned at her.

"Thanks Lily."

"Lily," Hestia said quietly, when she'd finished her food. Lily turned to look at her and Hestia nodded her head to the exit of the Great Hall. Lily nodded and the two girls stood up simultaneously.

"Where are you going?" James and Sirius asked, looking up at their girlfriends.

"Let them go," Remus said quietly; he had noticed the girls silent conversation, and the expression on Hestia's face. Lily smiled at Remus gratefully, and to her surprise, he blushed, before walking out of the hall with Hestia.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, as she and Hestia made their way to Divination, which they only took because it was a waste of time.

"Voldemort was in my dream," Hestia whispered, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Did you write in your Occlumency diary?" she asked in a high voice.

"Yes! I did! Ask Alice! I don't know why. I wrote about everything in my mind! And he was still there!" Hestia said, on the verge of tears. Lily wrapped her arm around her friends' shoulder.

"Let's go to my dorm," she said, and Hestia raised her eyebrows.

"Lily Evans skipping class? I never thought I'd see the day," Hestia joked, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You can barely count Divination as a class. All she's going to tell me is that I'm going to die early," Lily rolled her eyes, and the two girls headed off to the Heads' dorm.

* * *

"Where are they?" Sirius hissed to James when they were all seated in Divination. Hestia and Lily usually sat a table away from them, but it was empty. Everyone except the two girls was there.

"I don't know," James hissed back, looking around the room incase the girls' had moved tables.

"I hope they're okay," Sirius said quietly, playing with a hole in the tablecloth.

"They're fine, we're in school," James said gently, and Sirius nodded, "They're probably talking about whatever was bothering Hestia."

"So there was something wrong! I thought I was imagining it," Sirius snorted, and James chuckled.

"Let's read the damn tealeaves shall we?" James asked grabbing Sirius' cup and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Because they're going to determine our future right?"

"Of course," James said in a mock bewildered tone. He looked into Sirius' cup and flipped through his book, "Okay…according to this, that little smudge right there means you're going to be sabotaged," he said, and Sirius snorted, "by a friend. Sorry in advance Pads," James snorted, and Sirius grabbed at his chest.

"Prongs how could you?"

"My deepest apologies. And, according to this vulgar shape over here, you're going to end up in prison, maybe I need new friends," James sighed, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Nah you have the best," and then he chuckled, "Vulgar shape?"

"Look at it!" James said, shoving the cup under Sirius' nose. Sirius rolled his eyes and reached for James' cup.

"Okay Prongs. The brown crap in your teacup says you are going to die early," Sirius said, flipping through James' book, because he never bothered to bring his own, "Sorry mate, I'll cry at your funeral. And this weird hippogriff shape here means you're going to be betrayed, wow we have such weird lives," Sirius chuckled, and James rolled his eyes.

"Am I getting married?" James asked, and Sirius rolled his eyes

"I could tell you that without looking in the damn cup," Sirius chuckled, tossing the cup at James.

"This doesn't work anyway so I'm not going to trust your opinion. That's all a load of dragon dung," James rolled his eyes, and Sirius snorted in agreement.

* * *

"So what happened in your dream?" Lily asked as she and Hestia sat down on the floor in front of the fire.

"Well it started with me and Sirius dancing, and I could see you and James out of the corner of my eye, and then suddenly you two were dead on the floor, and Sirius was being dragged away by Dementors and Voldemort was standing in front of me, smirking. He said I should join him, or end up in Azkaban with Sirius, or dead like you and James. And then I asked what the hell he was doing there, and he smirked and said he 'knew' me, then I saw, from a distance, you getting tortured in the snow with me screaming next to you, just like it had been that day in Hogsmeade, and I woke up screaming," Hestia shuddered, a few tears in her eyes, and Lily felt her face pale.

"It was just a dream Hest, and he's probably trying to freak us out," she said quietly, "and Dumbledore warned us he was going to try and recruit people," she said, and Hestia nodded.

"Why me?" she sobbed, and Lily put her arm around her best friends shoulder, "what if he does kill you and James? What if Sirius ends up in Azkaban? What will I do?" Hestia sobbed, and Lily wiped at her own eyes before continuing.

"You will be fine. You will become a hotshot at the _Daily Prophet. _You will live your life and you will help fight Voldemort. Also, Sirius is not going to end up in Azkaban. He's so sneaky and too bloody charming to end up in Azkaban," Lily said, rolling her eyes, and Hestia chuckled, "and James and I are not going to die," Lily finished determinedly. She couldn't imagine a world where James did not exist. She just couldn't.

"You're right, I'm sorry, I was just freaking out," Hestia said, and Lily nodded.

"Why were you okay at Quidditch then?"

"I only remembered again on my way down to the Great Hall. There was something nagging at my mind at Quidditch, but I didn't think much of it," Hestia said, and Lily nodded. Just then, the door flew open the girls screamed. They turned to see their boyfriends standing in the doorway. When James and Sirius saw their girlfriends, they let out sighs of relief.

"Where the _hell _were you?" Sirius yelled, walking into the room.

"We were here," Lily shrugged, and James chuckled.

"You skipped a class?"

"That's what I said!" Hestia chuckled, pointing at James.

"I see you're better now," James smiled soothingly, and Hestia nodded.

"Lily helped"

"May we know what was wrong?" Sirius asked, sitting down next to Hestia. James sat down next to Lily and wrapped his arms around her as she leaned on him.

"Later, we have to get to DADA before Merrythought kills us," Hestia sighed, pulling her boyfriend up.

* * *

"It's free period," James whispered into Lily's ear during lunch.

"Technically it's lunch," she grinned back, and James pouted.

"I want my prize!" he whined.

"What prize? I want a prize!" Sirius said excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Lily's giving the prizes," Hestia chuckled. She knew about the deal between Lily and James.

"Lily can I have the prize!" he asked happily, his eyes bright.

"I don't think so Pads," James chuckled, and Sirius narrowed his eyes at him, before realization dawned on his face.

"Oh, well, Hest can I have a prize?" Sirius asked, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"As long as you don't eat any onions," she shuddered, and Lily laughed.

"Hey Alice!" Lily said happily as Alice sat across from them, "what's wrong?" Lily asked as she saw the frown on Alice's face.

"I cant find Frank!" she whined, and Remus patted her shoulder soothingly.

"You'll find him," he said gently, and Alice grinned at him.

"I FOUND HIM!" Sirius yelled, pointing at Frank, who was entering the Great Hall. Lily saw Frank chuckle as he saw Sirius, before heading towards them.

"Where have you been?" Alice yelled at him.

"Sorry sweetheart," Frank said, kissing Alice on the cheek.

"What did you have to tell Alice?" Peter asked, and Frank turned pink.

"Yes, thank you Peter, what did you have to tell me?" Alice asked, and Frank shook his head.

"Dinner, I'll tell you at dinner," he said in a dry voice, "I have to go," he said, and walked swiftly out of the hall.

"Frank!" Alice yelled after him, but Frank kept walking, "did I do something?" she asked worriedly.

"Of course not, there's something on his mind," Lily said, looking after Frank, "don't worry about it," she said gently, smiling at Alice. Alice nodded and stood up.

"I'm going to work in the library this free period. See you guys," she waved, and headed out of the Great Hall.

"I think I'll go with her," Remus said, standing up, and was followed by Peter.

"Okay Lily, prize time," James grinned, standing up. Lily sighed and stood up.

"Bye guys," she said to Hestia and Sirius.

"Be safe," Sirius winked, and Lily blushed.

"You too," she grinned, before walking out of the Great Hall with James. In the dorm, after they'd taken off their Hogwarts robes, leaving them in a skirt and top, or pants and a shirt, James with a tie, James pushed Lily up against the back of the sofa.

"Gotcha," he whispered, before kissing her. Lily smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. James pulled her tighter against him and Lily arched her back, trying to get closer to him as he sucked on her bottom lip.

"Up," she said against his lips, and James groaned. He picked her up and walked up the stairs to his room. He shut the door with his foot and placed Lily on the floor, backing her up against the wall. Lily pulled at James' shirt and James hissed, deepening the kiss. Lily got on her tiptoes, not liking the way James had to bend down so far to reach her, and James wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her higher up. Lily sighed and disconnected from James.

James' face fell into a pout. Lily chuckled and walked over to James's desk. James grinned as he walked over to her and Lily pulled on his tie, pulling him to her. James chuckled and pulled his tie off. Lily messed up his hair and bit down on his bottom lip and James moaned deep in his throat, the sound sending chills through Lily. James' hands slipped under her shirt and Lily gasped as his cold hands connected with her bare skin, and James deepened the kiss. Lily hopped off the desk and backed James up until he fell onto the bed. Lily grinned and sat on top of him, straddling him into the bed. James grabbed her hips and ground her into him and Lily bit down on her lip, trying to hold on to her self-control. She pulled his shirt off over his head, excited by the exposed flesh. James moved his lips down from hers to her neck, and to her collarbone. Lily whimpered and felt James' lips turn up into a smile, as his hips bucked against hers again.

"James you're killing me," she gasped as his lips moved to her shoulder. He pulled off her top and Lily shivered at the sudden cold. He moved back to her collarbone and sucked on a pressure point. Lily closed her eyes, feeling her self-control slip, and pulled James' lips back to hers. James groaned and ground Lily harder, and Lily bit on his lip. He flipped them over so he was lying on top of Lily. Lily felt his hands on her knees start to inch up further, "James," she murmured, but he ignored her.

Lily sighed and pushed him off her, and James groaned, looking at her with dazed eyes, "Lily," he said in a husky voice and Lily felt her insides crawl.

"We won't stop!" she said, and James sighed.

"We have self control," he said in a convincing tone.

"Speak for yourself," Lily muttered, and James grinned at her. He leaned forwards and kissed her shoulder and Lily sighed, "James we can't do _it," _she gasped.

"Why not?" he whispered, moving towards her neck. James pushed Lily' hair out of the way and kissed her jaw, and Lily closed her eyes.

"Because," she said, embarrassed by how breathless she sounded, and James nodded. He moved further up to her ear and Lily felt him graze it with his teeth, and she groaned, "James."

"Some other time then," he whispered, and stood up. Lily looked around for her shirt as James put his on and turned to look at him. He turned back to her and smirked, "What?" he asked in an innocent tone.

Lily growled, "Where is my shirt?" She saw James shrug and groaned. She got off the bed and looked on the floor for it. She looked around James' bed and then straightened up with a sigh, and James' arms wrapped around her from the back. She shuddered as James kissed her shoulder.

"Here," he said, pulling her shirt over her head. Lily shrugged into her shirt and turned around, resting her hands on James' chest.

"Why so happy?" she asked cheekily, as James beamed and his eyes brightened.

"I just got my prize," he grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked; his eyes were bright, his hair was disheveled, his skin was flushed and he had a stupid grin on his face.

"That's all you're getting, okay?" she grinned, and James pouted, causing Lily to laugh.

"I thought I got a prize everyday?" he whined, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"That wasn't part of the deal. You specifically said 'a good snog session', not 'a good snog session everyday', that would have been different," she grinned, and James' pout became more pronounced.

"What if I said that wasn't a _good_ snog session?" he asked cheekily

"Then you're going to need to find a new girlfriend," she said, narrowing her eyes, and James laughed.

"So what was wrong with Hestia?" he asked, and Lily sighed.

"Voldemort invaded her dream and really freaked her out," Lily said quietly, and felt James stiffen. He nodded and kissed Lily on top of her head.

"Let's go?" he asked, and Lily sighed.

"I don't want to go to class," she whined, and James rolled his eyes.

"Lily you shock me everyday. I had this perfect image of you for six years and you're slowly shattering it!" he whined, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You had an image of me? I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations, maybe you should dump me," she said sarcastically, and James snorted.

"You didn't live up to my expectations, you beat them," he grinned, and Lily blushed before rolling her eyes.

"Cheesy," she said, shaking her head, and James snorted. He kissed her forehead and led her down the stairs. They walked into the common room to see Sirius and Hestia. It looked like Hestia was giving Sirius his prize.

"OI!" James yelled, bright red, "Why are you doing that in my dorm?" he asked, and Sirius turned to look at him.

"There's nowhere more private mate, and you two seemed pretty busy yourselves," he winked and laughed.

"Oh shut up, we're allowed to be busy here. Why cant you go be busy in your own dorm?" she asked.

"Because it's private in your dorm," Hestia grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes before grinning at her best friend. James kissed Lily on the shoulder, wrapping his arms around her from behind, and resting his chin on top of her head, "Aren't you two just smitten?" Hestia asked sweetly, and Sirius snorted.

"What were you two doing?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows, and James turned red.

"They were probably just completing my prophecy," Hestia said seriously, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Doubt it, Lily-flower still looks flowered," he grinned, and Lily blushed harder, "see she's blushing!"

"I'm a redhead, I always blush," she added, and Hestia sighed.

"That is true," she said to Sirius, who groaned.

"You're ruining my life here Hest," he groaned.

"And my sex life is the bane of your existence?" James asked cheekily, and Sirius guffawed.

"Of course mate, that's what best mates are for," Sirius said, and James grinned. Remus walked through the dorm door and saw the two couples, and a smile crossed his face.

"Maybe we should change our password," James said to Lily.

"Yeah we can't have animals walking in here all the time," she said, looking pointedly at Sirius, before grinning at Remus, who looked insulted.

"An animal? I believe I'm the most tame," he said, and then blushed as Sirius and James snickered.

"Translation, I am a virgin," Sirius snickered.

"Exactly what I was thinking Pads," James snickered, walking over to Sirius.

"Are you saying you two aren't virgins?" Hestia asked, as she and Lily gave the two boys death glares.

"N-no, I mean, we are," Sirius stammered, noticing his girlfriends' expression.

"Then what was that comment for?" Remus asked, grinning at his two cowering friends. They turned to glare at him and Remus chuckled, "Anyway I have bad news," he said, and they turned to look at him.

"What kind of bad news?" Lily asked, sitting down on the sofa and pulling her knees up under her chin

"The Quidditch game against Hufflepuff has been moved up," he said, looking at Sirius and James who cried out.

"When is it?" James asked

"Instead of next weekend it's been moved to this weekend because of NEWTS and OWLS," Remus said. James yelled and turned to look at Sirius.

"Practice. Every night," he yelled, and Sirius nodded frantically.

"I'll go put up a notice!" Sirius said, turning to run out of the dorm. He stopped, ran back, grabbed Hestia's hand, and then ran out.

"Bye?" she yelled over her shoulder, laughing, as Sirius dragged her out of the dorm.

"Remus go tell Tonks," Lily said, and Remus raised his eyebrows at her.

"She'll see the notices," he said, but Lily shook her head.

"Go find her and tell her," she said, and Remus sighed.

"You're such a mystery," he said, walking out of the room. Lily turned to look at James, who was pale and looked like he was about to hyperventilate.

"James," she said gently, walking over to him. She grabbed his hand and led him to the armchair, "Breathe. You'll be fine, Hufflepuff is dung at Quidditch," she said soothingly. James nodded, and his breath started to come out better, but he was still pale, "James, you will beat them. You know why?"

"Why?" he choked out, looking up at Lily.

"Because Amos Diggory is on that team," she said, and saw James' face darken, "exactly. You hate him, and he is afraid of you," she said, and James nodded, his complexion returning, "Better?"

"Thanks Lils," he said, smiling at her, and she beamed back.

"Class?" she asked, holding out her hand. James shook his head and Lily rolled her eyes, "Well you're going anyway so just take the damn hand." James laughed and took Lily's hand, and together they walked out of the dorm to Transfiguration.

* * *

"Do you think I could get away with transfiguring Diggory into a teacosy during the match?" Sirius asked James during Transfiguration. They were spending the next few weeks reviewing for their NEWT exams.

"Doubt it mate, they might notice," he snorted, and Sirius nodded seriously.

"You could confund him?" Peter suggested, and Sirius' eyes brightened.

"No you can't do that it's against the rules and then you'll forfeit," Remus said sternly.

"And if we forfeit then we wont win," James said, and Sirius hung his head.

"I suggest you sneak and watch the Hufflepuff practice tonight, then you can coordinate using their weakness," a voice whispered.

"No, I don't want to win cheating," James said, turning to see who it was, and jumped as he found himself face to face with McGonagall.

"Minerva!" Sirius gasped, "I didn't know you played dirty," he said, waggling his eyebrows. McGonagall pursed her lips and then turned to look at James.

"Fair words Mr. Potter, but I have become accustomed to seeing that Cup in my office, make sure it's there again okay?" she asked, and James nodded. McGonagall nodded, and walked over to Lily, Alice and Hestia.

"So what were you doing?" Hestia whispered, and Lily turned to glare at her.

"Not that," she insisted, and Hestia sighed.

"Well that's rather disappointing," she said, and Lily rolled her eyes, "When's the Quidditch cup?"

"I think it's after NEWTS," Lily said, and Hestia nodded.

"AH NEWTS! I can't do this!" Alice squealed, slamming her textbook shut in front of her.

"Yes you can. You will get all O's, you will go to Auror training, you will get married to Frank, and you will have beautiful babies," Hestia said, and Lily snorted.

"What is with you and beautiful babies this week? First it was James and I and now it's Alice and Frank? What about you and Sirius?"

"Sirius and I are going to have sexy babies that will kick your beautiful babies butts," she declared, and Lily and Alice snorted.

"My babies will beat yours," Lily shrugged, and Hestia snorted.

"My baby will be the hippogriff's tail," Alice said, and the others giggled

"Hippogriffs tail?"

"Yes, the hippogriffs tail," Alice nodded, and her friends continued to giggle.

"AS much as I enjoy hearing about your beautiful babies," McGonagall said, and the girls jumped, "I would much rather you get back to your work," she winked, and the girls turned red.

"Yes Professor"

"And I believe Mr. Potter's babies will beat Mr. Blacks," she grinned at Hestia, and walked away.

"I don't know whether I should be disturbed that she thinks James is attractive, or amused that she thinks James is more attractive than Sirius," Alice said, and the other girls nodded.

"You have competition Lils," Hestia giggled, and Lily turned red.

"I can't believe she just said that!"

"Said what?" Sirius asked, sitting down next to Hestia. The rest of the boys joined them and Lily saw Alice chuckle.

"Nothing," Lily said, looking down at her textbook.

"Now I'm curious!" James whined, and the three girls turned red.

"Well," Alice said.

"Alice no!"

"Shut up Alice!"

"Grow up you two," Alice said, looking at her best friends cheekily, "Basically, we were discussing beautiful babies,"

"Again?" James asked, looking at Lily.

"It was in regards to Alice this time," she said, and James chuckled.

"So anyway, we were discussing whose babies would be more attractive," Alice said.

"Why does everyone have babies all of a sudden?" Remus asked.

"Because they do okay? Let me finish the story!" Alice whined, and Remus grinned, "Anyway, we were discussing whose babies would be more attractive, Lily's, Hestia's or mine, and them McGonagall came along and gave us her opinion," she shrugged, and Lily and Hestia snorted.

"That's putting it lightly," Hestia said, and Lily chuckled.

"She basically decided between James and Sirius' babies," Lily chuckled, and the two boys looked at each other

"I guess the question of most swoon-worthy is finally going to be answered," Remus chuckled.

"Who did she say?" Sirius asked Alice.

"She said James' babies would beat yours," Alice grinned, and Sirius' jaw dropped as James thrust his fist in the air.

"I knew it!" James said happily.

"MINERVA!" Sirius yelled, standing up, "How _dare _you pick him over me!" he said, and McGonagall sighed, "Me? I bet you're just in denial. You can't be seen with me until I graduate so you're changing what the public thinks! Lies are bad!" he yelled at her, and grabbed his stuff, walking out of the classroom.

"I cant wait until he's gone," McGonagall muttered, but Lily saw her mouth twitch, which made her think that maybe, just maybe, McGonagall enjoyed Sirius' taunting.

* * *

"Where in the name of Merlin is he?" Alice whined, looking around the Great Hall.

"Alice, calm down. Maybe he's freaking out for NEWTS. Remember Lily during OWLS?" Hestia said soothingly, and Alice rolled her eyes.

"I thought she had died," Alice snorted, remembering.

"We couldn't find her for a few days and it turned out she was in the library the whole time studying," Hestia said, and Alice laughed.

"Remember having to force her to shower?" Alice laughed, and Hestia nodded, grinning.

"That was terrible," Hestia said, shaking her head, "and those were OWLS. NEWTS are going to be so bad!"

"Oh no! At least she lives with James now, we wont have to do much," Alice said, chuckling.

"I doubt he'll be able to force her to shower," Hestia said, matter-of-factly.

"We actually had to force her into the shower, fully clothed, and turn the water on," Alice said to Remus, who was sitting next to her. The boys were listening to this conversation in amusement.

"I wasn't that bad!" Lily whined, and her best friends snorted.

"We had to stand in the damn shower with you to make sure you wouldn't run out to study," Hestia snorted, and Alice chuckled.

"Remember how Gwenog put a body-bind curse on Lily so she'd sleep?" she said, grinning at Lily.

"It's not funny!" Lily whined, hiding her face in her hands. Sirius grinned, and patted Lily's knee soothingly.

"It's okay Lily-flower. There's nothing wrong with studying"

"Thanks Sirius," she said smiling, and Sirius grinned at her, before returning to his food.

"Just because you aren't as naturally talented as us…" he said cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes, "it's true! We didn't study for OWLS, and we got all O's and one E," he grinned, and Lily gasped.

"Are you serious!"

"Yes, I am," he grinned, and Hestia smacked her palm to her forehead.

"No more serious Sirius jokes," she whined, and James chuckled.

"Lily-flower your hair is so long!" Sirius said, leaning back to look at her hair.

"I wanted to grow it out," she shrugged. Her hair was now reaching her elbows.

"Why the sudden interest in Lily's hair?" Remus asked curiously.

"I was thinking about OWLS, and then I remembered the time James asked her out during OWLS, and then Lily's hair was there, and it was a lot shorter," he shrugged.

"'Lily's hair was there'? Nice Padfoot," Peter snorted and Sirius narrowed his eyes at him.

"I bet it's you who betrays me in the future!" he said, pointing at Peter.

"What?"

"James knows what I'm talking about," Sirius said, looking at James, who rolled his eyes.

"Maybe he betrays the both of us," James said seriously, and Sirius nodded enthusiastically like a child.

"Doubt it, Peter's nice," Lily said sweetly, and Peter smiled at her slightly.

"Hi Frank!" Hestia yelled across the Great Hall, where Frank was walking in, "What is he wearing?" Hestia asked, looking at the dress robes Frank was in.

"Frank, why are you in dress robes?" Remus asked, but Frank just shook his head.

"Alice," he said, and Alice turned to glare at him.

"Where the hell have you been?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Planning this now be quiet," he said cheekily. Lily noticed the way his hand lingered on his pocket, and she looked closely to see the shape of a velvet box. A ring.

"Oh my Merlin," she gasped, and Frank looked up at her.

"Lily," he said, and Lily nodded. She jumped out of her seat, ignoring James, and grabbed Frank, dragging him out of the Great Hall.

"You're going to _propose_?" she squealed, and Frank nodded.

"Do you think she'll say yes?" he choked out, and Lily shrugged.

"I'd say there's a really good chance she'll say yes," she said, smiling, and Frank nodded, "Now don't be so nervous," she said, shaking his shoulders. Frank smiled at her and Lily laughed, and hugged him.

"Thanks Lily," he chuckled, and Lily pulled away from her, crossing her arms.

"On one condition," she said, and Frank looked up at her, "Well more than one. I have a few. Firstly, she has to finish school before the wedding,"

"Yes of course!" Frank nodded, "She needs to get her NEWTS so she can be an Auror like she wants to be," he said quietly, and Lily grinned.

"Secondly, you have to look after her, please," she said, and Frank smiled at her.

"I swear,"

"Why are you proposing?" she asked, and Frank rubbed his nose.

"Well, this Voldemort issue has reminded me that I cant take anything for granted. I don't want to miss out on anything. Everything could be gone any second, and Alice, well, she's it for me, so I figure, I want to do this before anything happens," he said awkwardly, and Lily nodded.

"That makes sense," she said quietly. Frank nodded and sighed.

"So I'm going to do it now," he said quietly, and Lily's head snapped up.

"In the Great Hall?" she asked, and Frank nodded.

"Yes, why?"

"This is Alice, Frank. Do it outside by the Black Lake or something. She wouldn't like it here," she said, nodding towards the Great Hall, "Too many people. I'll send her out," she winked, and Frank grinned at her.

"Thank you Lily," he grinned, and Lily shrugged.

"Don't blow it," she said, turning back into the Great Hall, "Alice," she said, sitting down next to Sirius, "Go to the Black Lake," she said, and Alice looked aghast.

"What? Are you insane?" she cried, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Black Lake, now," she said imperiously, pointing towards the doors of the Great Hall.

"Yes your majesty," Alice grumbled, getting up. She grabbed her bag and walked out of the Great Hall.

"What was that for?" Hestia asked Lily.

"You'll see," Lily shrugged, grinning.

"Lily-flower, a word?" Sirius said, and Lily frowned.

"Go ahead," she said, but Sirius shook his head.

"Not here! Otherwise I would've just started speaking," he scoffed, and Lily rolled her eyes. Sirius grabbed her elbow and stood up, dragging her from the table.

"I'm coming I'm coming!" Lily squealed as Sirius dragged her backwards.

"What do you need to talk about?" James asked curiously, but Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You and Lily-flower are the same. If I wanted to tell you then I would've said 'Prongs, a word'" Sirius rolled his eyes and continued to drag Lily.

"Sirius Black I cannot walk backwards!" she squealed, and Sirius guffawed, but continued walking, "What is it?" she asked as Sirius let her go in the Entrance Hall

"I just wanted to talk to you, we never talk," Sirius shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Why did you make it so secretive then?" she chuckled.

"Because they wouldn't have let us go," he said matter-of-factly and Lily nodded in understanding.

"Understood. What do you want to talk about?" she asked, and Sirius chuckled, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine Sirius, and yourself?" she asked. The two of them sat down in the Entrance Hall and Lily squealed, "Come here!" she hissed, and grabbed an incredulous Sirius' hand.

"Lily-flower I'm taken," he said, but Lily rolled her eyes.

"As am I Sirius, I want to spy!" she squealed.

"On who?" he asked, suddenly extremely enthusiastic

"Frank and Alice," she whispered, as they reached the window that looked out on the Black Lake.

"Why?" he whispered back, looking over Lily. He loved how she was so short.

"Because he's proposing," she whispered back, as Frank took a deep breath.

"He's WHAT?" Sirius yelled, and Lily clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Shut _up _Sirius!" she squeaked, looking back to make sure Frank and Alice hadn't heard.

"Sorry! Damn he's making quite a speech," Sirius said, watching as Frank continued to talk.

"Shut up Sirius," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I wonder what she'll say," Sirius mused, and Lily looked up at him.

"She'll probably say yes," she said, and Sirius shrugged.

"I don't know, from what I've gathered she's a smart girl. She might think it's too early," he said, and Lily shook her head.

"That's me Sirius. Alice is smart, but she really loves him," she said, smiling at her friends by the lake.

"So if Prongs proposed to you right now you'd say no?" he asked, and Lily frowned.

"I don't know actually. I'd freak out, I know that," she said, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"But would you say yes?"

"I guess," Lily sighed, and Sirius nodded seriously, "Don't tell me he's going to propose!" she squeaked, and Sirius laughed again.

"If he was, I wouldn't have even brought it up," he rolled his eyes, and pat Lily on the head, "You're so small," he grinned.

"I am not!" she yelled, and Sirius scoffed.

"Lily, I can do this," he said, resting his chin on top of her head.

"It's not my fault you're a bloody giant," she muttered, and he guffawed, "5'5 is a completely acceptable height," she sniffed, and Sirius grinned.

"You're still small"

"Only in comparison to you giant boys," she said, and Sirius grinned.

"I don't know how Prongs does it," he rolled his eyes, "you're puny and he's, what, 6 foot tall?"

"I think he's 6'1" she said thoughtfully, turning to look at Sirius

"Nah, I'm 6'1 and I'm taller than him," Sirius said proudly, and Lily grinned.

"And you take pride in the fact that you're a ridiculous giant?" she chuckled, and Sirius gasped.

"I'm not ridiculous," he scoffed, and Lily giggled, "We never talk," he sighed, and Lily frowned.

"We talk everyday Sirius what are you talking about?" she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Yes, but Prongs, Hestia, Moony…they're always there!" he sighed, and Lily frowned, nodding.

"That's true," she said, and smiled up at him, "we should talk more often," she grinned, and Sirius smiled down at her.

"We should! We'll make it a regular thing!" he said happily, jumping up and down, "Okay, from now on, I sit with you in Divination," he declared, and Lily laughed, "Oh!" he said, pointing at the window. They turned to see Frank down on his knee, holding out the box.

"Oh, look at Alice's face," Lily said happily, as Alice broke out into a breathtaking smile. Lily heard a sniff and turned to see Sirius wiping at his eye, "Sirius Black are you crying?" she asked incredulously, and Sirius shook his head back and forth quickly, wiping at his eyes.

"No!" he choked out, and Lily looked at him until he sighed, "It was really touching okay?" he said, and Lily giggled.

"Who'd have thought? Sirius Black, sensitive!" she said, and Sirius glared down at her.

"If you tell them I'll kill you," he said, nodding towards the hall, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"It'll be our little secret," she grinned, and he smiled down at her. They turned back to see Frank swinging Alice around.

"I want that," Sirius said, watching Frank and Alice with a smile on his face.

"Me too," Lily sighed, and turned to look at Sirius, "let's give them some privacy?" she said, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"They don't even know we're here," he said, but swinging his arm around her shoulders and turning around all the same.

"That's not the point," she said, and then squealed, "Alice is getting married!" she said happily, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Took you a while Evans," he snorted, and Lily smacked him in the arm.

"Shut up Mr. Sensitive," she said, and Sirius narrowed his eyes down at her.

"If you ever…"

"Oh shut up Sirius I already told you it was our little secret," she chuckled, and hugged Sirius around the torso.

"At least it's not a furry little secret," Remus chuckled, as they sat down at the table.

"How are you so sure?" Sirius challenged, his arm still around Lily's shoulders.

"Touché," Remus chuckled.

"May I ask what you were doing?" James asked, looking at Sirius, who's arm was still around her shoulders.

"We weren't snogging if that's what you were thinking," Sirius snorted, and James chuckled, "We were spying," he grinned, and Lily squealed again.

"I still can't believe it!" she squealed.

"Believe what?" Hestia asked.

"Lily! Hestia!" they turned around to see Alice running over to them, a grin on her face, "I'm getting married!" she squealed, and Hestia's jaw dropped.

"Really?" Peter asked, after choking on his pumpkin juice, turning his already mousy eyes watery.

"Yes," Sirius grinned, turning to look at Alice, who was now hugging Lily and jumping up and down.

"I'm so happy for you!" Hestia squealed, stamping her feet.

"Me too, congratulations," James said, and Alice grinned at him.

"Thank you! Oh Merlin I can't believe I'm getting married! I'm going to be Alice Longbottom. Merlin's pants!" she squealed, "I'm going to go owl my mum!" and with that she ran out of the Great Hall.

"Is that what you two were spying on?" James grinned, putting his arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Maybe," Sirius said, extending the vowels, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes," she said, and Hestia gasped.

"How dare you! And you didn't even call me!" she whined, and Lily giggled.

"We were talking," Sirius shrugged, "Oh and Prongs, Lily is now my Divination partner," he said, and James choked.

"Why?"

"Because we need regular talking times," Sirius said, and turned to see Hestia glaring at him.

"How dare you steal my partner!" she huffed, and Sirius sighed.

"Lily-flower, I don't think we can be Divination partners. We'll find another talking time," he said, and Lily nodded.

"Alright," she said, and Sirius grinned at Hestia, who smiled back at him.

"Things I do for you," Sirius huffed, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Lily!" they turned to see Frank run in, "Thank you!" he yelled, hugging her. Lily chuckled and hugged him back.

"Congratulations!" she squealed, and Frank grinned.

"Why are you thanking her?" James asked.

"She told me to do it by the Black Lake, and she also gave me permission," he shrugged, and Hestia laughed.

"Permission?"

"Well not permission really, more like she gave me rules I had to follow if I wanted to propose," he shrugged and they nodded.

"I still can't believe you're getting married!" Hestia squealed.

"I know, me either"

**

* * *

Sirius' Occlumency Diary**

So, Frank proposed to Alice today. Should I propose to Hestia?

**

* * *

Hey guys! Hope you like the chapter. I know there were some suggestions, and I'm trying to incorporate them, so I hope you're liking it (: I'm in India at the moment and it is cold, especially as opposed to Indonesia, where I live, which is tropical and hot all year around. It's crazy. And I know lots of you are in snow, and I hope none of you are getting sick! **

**Happy fanfictioning!**


	20. Stag and Doe

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long break in updation (I know that's not a word). I've got a fever and to top it off my four year old cousin was here and, well, I was preoccupied. Merry Christmas everyone! Since I kept you waiting so long I'm updating again tomorrow…or maybe later today… Enjoy! And Review (:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story line**

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_**Sirius' Occlumency Diary**_

_So, Frank proposed to Alice today. Should I propose to Hestia?_

* * *

"I'm so tired!" Hestia grumbled, as she and Lily collapsed on the sofa in the Heads' dorm.

"I hate wedding planning," Lily sighed, leaning her head back on the sofa.

"I promise you I am never getting married,"

"As if Hest," Lily snorted. They had spent the whole day, after classes, planning Alice's wedding with Alice. Gwenog was Alice's maid of honour, but since Gwenog wasn't there, Lily and Hestia, the bridesmaids, were helping Alice.

"Why are we planning now anyway?" Hestia whined, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"We've been over this! Alice wants to have it done before NEWTS, so she can concentrate on NEWTS when they come around"

"Pain in the bum if you ask me," Hestia muttered, and Lily chuckled, "By the way, you're my maid of honour," Hestia added, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me you're getting married too!" Lily gasped, turning to Hestia, who turned slightly pink.

"No! You think Sirius would propose? Merlin, no, I'm just telling you in advance," Hestia grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You're mine too," Lily chuckled, and Hestia squealed.

"Really?" Hestia squeaked, jumping up and down. Lily rolled her eyes and hid her face in her hands. Only Hestia Jones.

"Hello lovely ladies," Sirius said, striding into the room. He was dressed in his Quidditch robes and was drenched. Lily looked out the window and saw that it wasn't raining, and scrunched her nose, realizing Sirius was probably drenched in sweat.

"Hello," Hestia said happily, walking over to hug him, and Lily winced. Hestia shrieked and jumped away from him, "are you covered in sweat?" Sirius grinned at her and took a step towards her. Hestia shuddered and walked over to Lily, "He's all sweaty!" she groaned, and Lily laughed.

"You haven't seen Prongs," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Right on cue, James walked into the dorm.

"That. Is. Gross." Hestia declared. James was completely drenched, and his hair was shining with sweat.

"Only real men sweat," James said, grinning, and Lily snorted, "OI!" he yelled, and Lily winked.

"What were you girls doing?" Sirius asked, rolling his eyes at James.

"We just got back from wedding planning," Lily grumbled, and Hestia groaned next to her.

"I am never ever _ever_ getting married," Hestia sniffed, and Lily grinned at Sirius, who turned pink. James sighed and walked over to Lily, who leaned away.

"Merlin no, go shower first," she said, pointing imperiously towards the bathroom. James bowed down to her, rolling his eyes, before walking over to the bathroom.

"I'm going to go," Hestia said, standing up and stretching. She looked at Sirius, who smiled up at her.

"Go ahead, I'll come later," he said, and Hestia shrugged.

"See you later," she said, kissing him on top of his head, before sauntering out of the dorm, Sirius watching her.

"Hi?" Lily said uncertainly, and Sirius turned to look at her, grinning.

"Why so uncertain Lily-flower?"

"Well, you usually go everywhere with Hestia," she shrugged, and Sirius narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you implying that I'm whipped?"

"I don't need to imply it," Lily said cheekily, and Sirius growled playfully.

"I needed to talk to you so I stayed," Sirius huffed, crossing his arms and looking away from her. Lily giggled.

"Speak"

"No you're being mean to me!" he whined, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said sarcastically, and Sirius shook his head.

"Like you mean it!"

"No thanks I'm good," she chuckled

"Lily-flower!" he whined, and Lily rolled her eyes

"I am very sorry for being mean to you Sirius," she said, accentuating each word. Sirius grinned and Lily had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes, "you needed to talk to me?" Sirius coughed and looked down at the floor, causing Lily to raise her eyebrows, "what is it?" she asked gently.

"I don't know how to start," he said, looking down at the floor.

"From the beginning?" Lily said, her mouth twitching, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Well, I guess, erm," Sirius said, looking down at his hands and twirling his fingers.

"What brought it up?" Lily asked helpfully, sensing how uncomfortable he was.

"The wedding," Sirius said, and Lily nodded.

"What is it in regard to?" Lily asked, and Sirius guffawed.

"Why so formal Lily-flower?" he chuckled, and Lily's face split into a smile.

"You weren't speaking!" she shrieked and Sirius laughed.

"It is in regard to, well, my relationship," he said, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Are you planning on proposing?" she asked quietly, and saw Sirius' eyes widen.

"Maybe, well not planning, more like, thinking about it?" he said uncertainly, but Lily had started shaking her head earlier.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Sirius asked awkwardly

"Why do you want to propose?" Lily asked quietly, and Sirius looked down at the floor, "Just because Frank proposed doesn't mean you have to," she said, and Sirius looked up at her with earnest, confused eyes

"But his reasons!" he said, standing up and putting his hand in his hair, "They made perfect sense! What if something _does _happen and I never get to do this?" he asked, and Lily stood up, putting her hands on his forearms, as she could barely reach his shoulders.

"Sirius Black, his reasons made sense, but Hestia is not Alice," she said, and Sirius looked down at her, "I know Hestia is the most eccentric thing ever," she rolled her eyes and Sirius grinned, "but she wouldn't say yes. And I know that it would hurt you. And I know that Hestia does love you. So don't propose, please," she said, and Sirius sighed.

"Good because I am not ready for marriage," he grinned, and Lily smacked his arm

"Then why, for the love of Merlin, were you going to propose?" Sirius shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes, "Go take a shower," she said, taking a step back from Sirius, who grinned down at her.

"Thank you Lily-flower!" he said happily, and hugged Lily, who screamed and attempted to push his sweaty body off of her.

"Get _off _me!" she squealed, but Sirius laughed and hugged her tighter.

"Pads get off the girlfriend," James yelled from the bathroom, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yes sir!" he yelled, saluting in the direction of the bathroom. Lily giggled, and Sirius messed her hair up, dodging her slaps, and walked to the door, "I'm going to shower!" he announced, and Lily snorted.

"Good to know," she grinned, and Sirius winked.

"Don't think about me too much," he grinned, before walking out of the dorm. Lily shuddered as she realized Sirius' sweat was still on her, and walked to the bathroom door.

"What?" James yelled as Lily knocked on the door. Lily kept knocking and she heard James exhale angrily. She bit back a laugh and continued to knock, "I am going to kill you," he said, pulling open the door, to see Lily, "oh it's you," he said happily, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Who else would it be?" she asked, and James rolled his eyes.

"I thought it was Padfoot," he said, and Lily giggled, "It's cold," James pouted, and Lily looked down to see him in nothing but a towel. James smirked, as Lily turned red and turned to look away from him.

"Well go wear some clothes," she said awkwardly, and James grinned down at her.

"Is my nakedness making you uncomfortable," he grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. She walked around James into the bathroom, "Where are you going?" he whined, and Lily chuckled.

"I need to shower. I'm covered in Sirius' sweat," she shuddered, closing the door behind her. James chuckled, and walked up to wear clothes. When he got back down, it was to see Lily, completely dressed and showered.

"How did you do that so fast?" he gasped, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You used up all the hot water!" she whined, and James laughed.

"You realize you could have made it hot with your wand right?" Lily flushed and James guffawed, "You forgot about magic," he said, rolling his eyes, and sitting down next to Lily, to turned to glare at him.

"I didn't forget! I was preoccupied," she shrugged, and James shook his head.

"What could possibly occupy you in the shower?"

"I was thinking!"

"Why are you always thinking?" he laughed, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"Because I have stuff to think about!"

"What stuff?"

"Lot's of stuff," she shrugged, and James rolled his eyes.

"Doesn't help Lils,"

"Well, for one, I was thinking about Quidditch tomorrow," she said, and James face paled.

"I'm scared," he said, and Lily smiled at him.

"You will be fine," she said, kissing his cheek

"How are you so sure?" he whined, lying down on her lap. Lily stroked his hair and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Because I am"

"What else?" he asked, and Lily raised her eyebrows, "were you thinking about?" he finished the question and Lily laughed.

"Well, what Sirius was just talking to me about," she shrugged, and James guffawed.

"The proposal thing?" he asked, and Lily nodded her head, rolling her eyes, "Sirius gets confused easily," he smiled fondly, and Lily grinned

"I've noticed, why did he ask me if he'd already discussed it with you?" she asked, turning to look at James, who sighed.

"Apparently, since you're Hestia's best friend you'd give better advice than me," James said, rolling his eyes.

"What advice did you give him?"

"I said that he should do it properly," he shrugged.

"Define properly"

"Well, firstly, he isn't ready for marriage. It's a huge step and you should only get married if you want to," he shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Why are you so bloody mature? It makes me feel like a child," she shook her head and James laughed, "It's as if you've already planned your proposal," she grinned, and James blushed, "You have?" she squealed, and James shook his head, looking anywhere but at her.

"No…"

"Tell me!" she commanded, and James looked up at her

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm asking," she stated, and James laughed, "Why wont you tell me?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he said sternly, standing up. Lily pouted and James laughed, "Come on," he said, holding his hand out to her.

"I'm tired where are we going?" she asked, and James scoffed.

"You can't get that tired planning a wedding," he chuckled, and Lily gasped, and smacked his arm, "Why are you planning it now?"

"Because of NEWTS," she said, and then her face paled, "Oh Merlin NEWTS are next week!" she shrieked, and James rolled his eyes, "I need to study," she squealed, and made to run up the stairs, but James grabbed her around the middle, and pulled her up, "Put me down James Potter!" she yelled, slapping at his arms, and James laughed.

"Unlikely Evans. You need to learn balance," he said, and started to carry her out of the dorm.

"James I need to study!" she whined, and James rolled his eyes, "What if I get a P? Or a D? Or a T?" she yelled, the pitch of her voice getting higher and higher with each question.

"Lily, I don't think you could get a T even if you tried," he chuckled, and Lily turned to narrow her eyes at him.

"Oh be quiet James! I need to study! I need to get good results!"

"Lils if you pass this down to our children I will kill you," he muttered, and Lily turned to him, eyes wide.

"So you planned our proposal and our children?" she said, and James laughed.

"Lily I've been planning everything since I was eleven," he chuckled, and Lily grinned at him.

"If our children are that pathetic then _I_ will kill _you_," she grinned, and James narrowed his eyes at her.

"I am not pathetic. I'm sorry if our children end up loving people," he scoffed, and Lily rolled her eyes, "I hope they don't get your tendency to ignore their feelings," he grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I bet our children will be good at school," she grinned, and James raised his eyebrows, "well you get good grades, albeit without trying," she shrugged, and James scoffed.

"I hope they're troublemakers," he grinned, and Lily smacked him.

"James Potter my children will never do anything mischievous like you. I will not allow you to pass down your talent for trouble," she scoffed, and James laughed.

"Talent for trouble?"

"Yes, talent for trouble."

"What's talent for trouble?" Remus asked as they walked into Gryffindor Tower, "and why does it look like you're restraining Lily?"

"It's my talent apparently, and because she wants to go study for NEWTS," James chuckled, and Remus guffawed.

"Well I agree with the talent," he said and grinned at James, who narrowed his eyes playfully, "And really Lily, you have a long time until NEWTS and you already know everything," he sighed, but Lily shook her head frantically.

"I don't!" she squealed, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you get all Outstandings on your OWLS?" he asked, and Lily blushed, "Exactly, you'll be fine," he said, and Lily sighed.

"Fine, stop me from getting good grades," she sniffed, and walked out of James' arms to walk to the comfortable armchairs by the fire where she saw Hestia.

"Hello," Hestia said happily, and Lily grinned, sitting down next to her, "What were you all arguing about?"

"NEWTS," Lily huffed, and Hestia snorted.

"Were they trying to tell you you'd be absolutely fine and stopping you from studying?" she asked, and Lily nodded vigorously.

"Amateurs," Hestia scoffed, and Lily laughed.

"What?" Alice asked, sitting down next to Lily

"Remus and James were they trying to tell Lily she'd be absolutely fine and were trying to stop her from studying," Hestia snorted, as Remus and James sat down, and looked at Hestia incredulously.

"Idiots," Alice chuckled, and turned to look at Lily, "Lily, you will not be fine, you still need to study, but you should take a small break," she said, and Lily nodded.

"I'm going to go to the kitchens," Lily said, standing up, and Hestia raised her eyebrows.

"You never go to the kitchens!"

"I know," Lily shrugged, and James stood up, but Lily shook her head, "I'm not taking you, especially you," she said, and James pouted.

"Can I come?" Alice asked, and Lily grinned.

"Yes you can," she said, and Alice stood up happily, linking her arm through Lily's, "Hest?"

"It's good I'm going to sit here," Hestia said, and her friends waved before walking away, "We perfected knowing about Lily's studying by the end of first year," she snorted, and Remus laughed.

"You alright Hest?" James asked, and Hestia nodded. James looked at her and Hestia slowly shook her head, "Thought so, what's wrong?"

"I don't know! Sirius is being weird!" she said, and James looked at Remus, who rolled his eyes, "Did I do something?" she asked, and they both shook their heads violently.

"You did nothing Hest, he's just confused," Remus chuckled, and Hestia visibly relaxed.

"Thank you," she said happily, "for a moment I thought he was either going to dump me, or propose to me," she said, and stood up, "I think I'm going to catch up with Lily and Alice," she said, and skipped out of the room. Once she was gone, James and Remus burst out laughing.

"That's so ironic!" James wheezed.

* * *

The next morning, Lily woke up to hear the sound of banging coming from James room. She got out of bed wobbly, and walked over to James' room. The door was open and she looked in to see him doing his usual pre-Quidditch workout; sit-ups, push-ups, stretches. She sighed and walked back to her room, pulling the covers over her head.

* * *

"Lily!" Hestia squealed, and Lily sat up to see Hestia and Alice standing in her room, "we're going to be late! The game's soon!" Hestia squealed, and Lily's eyes widened. She jumped up and pointed her wand at her clothes.

"Nice," Alice grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes, before running down the stairs to brush her teeth.

"Let's go!" she yelled, and the three girls ran down to the Quidditch Pitch.

"Prongs calm down!" Sirius said, shaking James, who was hyperventilating, which was normal for Quidditch games.

"James, you get to kick Diggory's bum," Tonks yelled from the other side of the changing room, and James smiled weakly, "And Lily's out there, so you have to win," she said, and James grinned over at Tonks.

"Thanks," Sirius sighed over his shoulder, and Tonks shrugged, "Only cousin I actually like," he mumbled, and James raised his eyebrows, "She's Aunt Andromeda's daughter," he said, "she's Bellatrix's sister, but she married a muggleborn so they disowned her," he said, and James nodded.

"Let's kick some Hufflepuff butt!" Marlene yelled, raising her beaters bat. Sirius grinned and raised his own bat, hitting Marlene's. The Gryffindor team, led by James and Sirius, made their way onto the Quidditch Pitch, and were greeted by cheers from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Hufflepuff and Slytherin, obviously, were booing at them, but it didn't bother them. James searched the crowd and saw Lily up in the stands, cheering, wearing a Gryffindor shirt with 'Potter' written in bold gold letters. James grinned at her and turned back to the pitch, and saw Amos Diggory, Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain, standing in front of his team, glaring at James.

"Now I want a nice clean game, from all of you," Madam Hooch, the new, young, Quidditch referee said, "Captains, shake hands," she said. James took a step forward and attempted to squish Amos' hand, as Amos did the same. James felt a smirk rise on his face as he saw Amos wince a little, "Mount your brooms," Madam Hooch yelled, and James swung a leg over his broom.

"Good luck!" he yelled to his team, and heard them yell back.

"Go!"

The two teams soared up into the air and James felt his tension dissolve as he felt the wind in his hair, making it messier.

"And they're off! Gryffindor team, captained by James Potter, great bloke, has lost a prized player, Ms. Gwenog Jones, who I danced with by the way," James turned to see Remus sitting in the commentary booth, and chuckled, "who is now playing for the Holyhead Harpies, I know right, and has been replaced by second year Nymphadora Tonks," he said, and James saw Tonks blush out of the corner of his eye.

"It's Tonks!" she screamed to no one in general, and James grinned.

"Hufflepuff team, led by Amos Diggory," Remus said bitterly, "the twat,"

"Mr. Lupin!" McGonagall yelled, audible to the whole stadium. The stadium chuckled.

"Sorry Professor. Anyway, let's get on with the game. Tonks has the Quaffle, and has passed it to McLaggen, who passes it back to Tonks, who dodges a nasty bludger aimed by Hufflepuff's bulky beater, sorry mate I don't know your name, nice dodge Tonks! She has swerved, she's shoots, and…she scores!" cheers erupted around the stadium and James reached his hand out to hi-five Tonks as she flew by, "That's ten-zero to Gryffindor! Oh look now, Diggory is yelling at his keeper. Bloke's got a set of lungs on him, as I'm sure we all know. Sorry Professor! Anyway, Hufflepuff's chaser Daniels passes to Smith, who is hit by a bludger aimed by Sirius Black, who has told me to say that he is one good looking bloke, happy Sirius?" James saw Sirius put thumbs up at Remus, and laughed along with the rest of the stadium, "Odd bloke that Sirius Black, anyway, Smith drops the Quaffle, which goes into Belby's arms, who take a shot and, it's saved by the keeper, bollocks, and the keeper drops the Quaffle as McKinnon aims a bludger at him, and Tonks grabs the Quaffle and she scores! Well done Tonks!" he yelled, jumping up and down and cheering.

The game went on for a long time, and it was only about four hours later, the score being 300-270 to Gryffindor when Remus gasped, "looks like Diggory's seen the Snitch! JAMES!" he screamed, and James turned around quickly, to see Amos speeding in the opposite direction. James felt his heart race and he sped up, flying over towards Amos. He saw a glint of gold, and leaned down, heading over to the golden snitch. He flew across the pitch until he was shoulder to shoulder with Amos, "C'mon James!" Remus was yelling into the mike, jumping up and down. McGonagall wasn't bothering to yell at Remus for taking sides, as she was yelling similar things. The snitch went in for a dangerous dive, and the two captains dove after the snitch, going into an almost vertical dive. Amos reached his hand out and James felt his stomach drop as his fingers scraped the Snitch. James thrust himself forwards, bumping into Amos and sending him swerving off course, and his fingers wrapped around the snitch. He pulled out of the dive triumphantly, holding the snitch in one arm over his head, a grin on his face.

"GRYFFINDOR WIN!" Remus screeched into the microphone, before throwing it to McGonagall and jumping over the barrier to hug Lily and Hestia, who were screaming and jumping up and down. The rest of his teammates, who were all screaming into his ears, slammed into James and the Gryffindor blob lowered itself slowly to the grass.

"PRONGS MATE WE DID IT! WE'RE IN THE HOUSE CUP!" Sirius screamed, and James grinned happily. They reached the ground and the whole of Gryffindor seemed to be streaming into the field, screaming. James saw Lily and held his arms open, and she launched herself into them, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"JAMES YOU DID IT!" she squealed, and James spun her around in a circle.

"SIRIUS!" Sirius turned just in time to catch a sprinting Hestia, who tackled him to the ground, "SIRIUS BLACK THAT WAS AMAZING!" she screamed, and Sirius laughed as he got to his feet, pulling her with him.

"IT WAS!" he yelled back, and Hestia grinned leaning up to kiss him.

"HOUSE CUP!" Remus yelled happily, and ran over to hug Tonks, who turned bright red, "YOU WERE AMAZING!" he yelled, and Tonks turned a fiery shade of red.

"Thanks," she said, smiling up at him, and Remus grinned down at her.

"AFTER PARTY IN THE COMMON ROOM!" Peter yelled, and the whole of Gryffindor cheered.

"POTTER!" James turned to see McGonagall running over to them, tears streaming down her face, "YOU DID IT!" she yelled, and James grinned up at her. She pat James on the back before wiping her eyes with her cloak, "AND YOU!" she screamed, turning to Sirius, who raised his eyebrows. She pat a bewildered Sirius on the head before walking away, and Lily burst out laughing, as did the rest of her friends.

"Now there's nothing left but NEWTS," Alice groaned, and Lily turned around to smack her in the arm. James turned around and saw Amos Diggory, dejected, walk away sadly, throwing his broom to the floor, and James grinned.

"I think I can take that on," he grinned, and leaned down to kiss Lily. He had everything he had ever wanted, what reason was there not to be happy?

* * *

"Really everybody this is enough," McGonagall said, parading into the Gryffindor Common room close to 4 in the morning, where the celebration was still in full swing.

"But Minerva!" Sirius said, swaying over towards her, a bottle of Firewhisky in his hand.

"Mr. Black where did you get that?" she said sternly, looking at the bottle of Firewhisky. Sirius grinned cheekily and threw the bottle over his shoulder, and Remus caught it, before holding his arms out to McGonagall.

"Dance with me love?"

"Ms. Evans!" McGonagall yelled, ignoring Sirius and walking over to Lily where she was sitting on James in the armchair. Lily's head snapped up towards her and she felt her face pale, "Ms. Evans it is 4 in the morning!" she screeched, and Lily nodded, standing up.

"But Professor, it's a celebration, and we have Professor Dumbledore's permission to throw the party," she said, and McGonagall's argument faltered.

"You have permission?"

"Sure," Lily shrugged, and McGonagall sighed.

"As long as nobody is asleep in classes tomorrow this party may continue," she growled, and walked out of Gryffindor tower.

"Tomorrow's Sunday Minerva!" Sirius yelled, and McGonagall sighed

"Fine, but you have to clean up this mess, I'm instructing the House Elves not to do it," she huffed, and ignoring a lot of protests, stormed out of Gryffindor Tower.

"We have permission?" James asked, standing up so he and Lily were less than an inch away from each other.

"No," she grinned up at him, and James raised his eyebrows.

"Lily Evans did you just lie to a teacher?" he gasped, his mouth twitching, and Lily rolled her eyes, "I think we're having a bad influence on you," he chuckled, winding his arms around her waist, and Lily giggled.

"Why is Lily so giggly?" Hestia asked, sitting on the sofa next to Alice. Lily had been giggling for an hour now.

"I may have slipped her some Firewhisky," Sirius grinned, falling down on the recently vacated armchair.

"Sirius Black you did _what_?" Alice said, turning around to look at him with a grin on her face.

"He gave Lils Firewhisky," Remus laughed, walking over and throwing Sirius' bottle back at him, "You're lucky I can catch," he muttered, sitting down next to Alice.

"My head hurts," whined Lily, and everyone chuckled.

"Back to the dorm?" James suggested, and Lily nodded like a child, "See you tomorrow," he chuckled, and held his hand out to Lily, who took it. Lily stumbled and James rolled his eyes, before picking her up and taking her back to their dorm.

"James," Lily said for the hundredth time.

"Yes Lily?" he replied, amused. She had been asking him pointless questions for the last few hours.

"Would you ever feed a Hippogriff a Pop Tart?" she asked, and James looked down at her questioningly.

"What is a Pop tart?"

"It's a breakfast food," she said, and James rolled his eyes.

"No I would not feed a Hippogriff a Pop Tart because I would eat it," he said, and Lily giggled.

"James,"

"Yes Lily?"

"I'm tired,"

"It's about bloody time," he muttered, and stood up, holding his hand out to Lily, "I'll take you to bed," he said, and Lily grabbed his hand. He dropped her down on her bed, and tucked her under the covers.

"James," she said as he was leaving. He chuckled and turned around to look at her.

"Yes Lily?"

"I love you," she grinned, and James laughed.

"Go to sleep Lils."

"James,"

"Yes Lily?"

"Nothing," she shrugged, before going to sleep. James chuckled and walked out of the room.

"My girlfriend is crazy," he muttered to himself.

* * *

"Lily?" James sat up and looked around, "Lily?" he asked in a louder voice, worry flooding through him. He had had a dream in which Voldemort had threatened to kill Lily. He jumped out of the bed, ignoring his pounding head from the party, and ran down the stairs, "Lily!" he yelled through the bathroom door.

"What?" the door opened and Lily stood there, rubbing her eyes, "Why are you yelling?" she asked, looking up at him and James felt relieved as he looked into her green eyes. He pulled her into a hug and Lily hugged him back before looking up at him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You're so strange," she chuckled, kissing him on the cheek, before grabbing his hand, "let's go down for breakfast I'm hungry," she said, and James grinned down at her.

"I think Padfoot is having a bad influence on you," he chuckled.

"I think Black has something coming for him. Sneaking me Firewhisky. How _dare _he!" she growled and James laughed, throwing his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on top of her head, "I don't like you," she said narrowing her eyes at James, who guffawed.

"I'm dying Lils how could you," he said sarcastically, gripping at his chest, and Lily rolled her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Sirius Black!" she yelled, stomping over to where Sirius was sitting at the Gryffindor Table. He turned and grinned cheekily at her.

"Lily Evans," he said, mimicking her tone, and James guffawed, covering it up with a cough when Lily turned to glare at him, "Lily-flower are you angry at me?" Sirius said innocently, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him, "I will take that as a yes," he winked, and Lily's mouth twitched.

"Give up Lils," Hestia said, rolling her eyes. Lily sighed and sat down next to Hestia, "What are you going to do today?" Hestia asked, and Lily's head snapped up.

"I have to study!" Lily squealed, realizing their first NEWT exam was that Thursday.

"Of course you do," Alice said, rolling her eyes, from where she was sitting next to Sirius.

"See you later," Lily squealed, jumping up and running out of the Great Hall.

"Here we go again," Alice groaned, slamming her forehead on the table, and Hestia sighed.

"If you can't find her for the next few days, it's because she's in the library," Hestia said to James, who laughed.

* * *

"HESTIA!" James yelled up the girls' staircase in Gryffindor Tower.

"YES JAMES?" Hestia yelled, before walking down the stairs.

"Lily wont shower!" he whined, and Hestia groaned.

"ALICE!"

"Yes?" Alice said, reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Lily won't shower," James said again, and Alice laughed, he groaned, and Hestia patted him on the back sympathetically. They reached the Heads dorm to see Lily sitting at her desk, surrounded with textbooks.

"Hey Lils," Hestia said, sitting down next to Lily, who didn't acknowledge their presence, "Okay so she's not going to hear anything we say, James, you come up behind her," she said, and James raised his eyebrows, "We had Gwenog last time," Hestia explained, and James chuckled. He stood behind Lily's chair and Alice sat down on the other side of Lily, "Now, on the count of three, we pick her up," Hestia said, and James guffawed, "1…2…3!"

They grabbed Lily and lifted her up in the air, "Put me down!" Lily squealed, but they ignored her.

"Alice door!" Hestia yelled, and Alice kicked the door open, still keeping a firm grip on the squirming Lily. They paraded inside and the two girls left Lily with James, running to the shower to turn it on. James lowered Lily into the shower area and Lily spluttered as the water hit her face.

"But I need to study!" she whined, and the three of them rolled their eyes.

"Okay, James, you stand in there with her until she is done, we are going to go back to sleep," Alice said, before walking out of the bathroom with Hestia, "good luck getting her to sleep," she chuckled, and James sighed.

"James," Lily whined, and James just shook his head, standing in the shower with Lily.

"Shampoo," he said, handing her shampoo to her. Lily narrowed her eyes at him and opened the bottle. James, satisfied, stepped out of the shower, dried himself off, and sat down on the bathroom counter. Lily stepped out of the shower and dried herself off before glaring at James, who grinned at her.

"Why did you call them?" she laughed, and walked over to James, who sighed.

"It's nice to have my girlfriend back," he chuckled, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I haven't gone anywhere!" she said, and James laughed, kissing her on top of the head.

"Now go to sleep," he said, and Lily shook her head vigorously.

"No I have to study!"

"No, you have to sleep."

"But I need to study!"

"No, you need to sleep!"

"James Potter!"

"Lily Evans!"

"You are incorrigible," Lily muttered, and James, who had given up on arguing, carried her over his shoulder into his bedroom, "why can't I go to my room?" she asked as he threw her onto the bed, and crawled under the covers.

"This way I can make sure you actually sleep," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"That's not why," she said, and James chuckled.

"Head out of the gutter Lily," he chuckled, and Lily rolled her eyes, before hugging his torso.

"Fine I'll go to sleep," she muttered, burying her face in his chest, and James chuckled, before wrapping his arms around her and going to sleep.

* * *

Thursday came around to find all the seventh and fifth years in frenzy. The Gryffindor seventh years were acting very strange.

James Potter was pale, reading over his Defense Against the Dark Arts notes, as it was their first exam.

Peter Pettigrew was hastily skimming through his textbook.

Sirius Black was not eating.

Alice Prewett was practicing for the practical.

Hestia Jones was reading over Lily's notes, panicking, as they were more precise than her own.

**Sirius Black was not eating.**

Lily Evans and Remus Lupin, however, were completely calm.

"What is wrong with you two?" Sirius hissed over at them, where they were chatting and eating breakfast.

"I believe we are, what you would call, prepared," Remus chuckled, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to be fine. So is Prongs," he said, nudging James, who rolled his eyes at Remus, putting away his notes.

"Then why are you panicking?" Hestia challenged, and Sirius grinned at her.

"Hestia love, Marauders never panic," he said. They all turned to look at Peter, who had yelled out in frustration and run out of the Great Hall, "I take that back," Sirius said, and Lily laughed.

"At least we had lives for the past week," James winked at Lily, who blushed, but stuck her tongue out at him. James chuckled, and walked over to sit down next to Lily, "Good luck," he said kissing her on the cheek, and Lily smiled at him.

"You too," she grinned, and James smiled, kissing her on the mouth.

"Eating breakfast here!" Remus said, turning around, and the couple laughed.

"Time to go," Frank said in a shaky voice, holding his hand out to Alice, who took it.

"Let's do this!" Sirius yelled, and the whole hall chuckled.

"Evans, over there, Potter, back there," Flitwick said as they reentered the Great hall, which had been changed to an exam hall.

"Good luck," James said before kissing Lily on the cheek and heading over to his seat. Lily sat down and looked around for everyone. She saw that James was only a few rows behind her and to the right, and grinned when she caught his eye. Alice was sitting a few desks away from James. She saw Hestia sitting a few tables behind her to the left, and Sirius was sitting a few rows in front, waving at Remus, who was trying his best to ignore him. Sirius turned to James, and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Alright, you may begin!" the examiner said, and the sound of turning pages filled the whole hall.

_51. Identify three features of a werewolf _

The Marauders and Lily grinned down at the question, before filling it out.

"I can't believe they kept that question!" Sirius laughed, as the Marauders filed out of the Great Hall together.

"Brilliant question," James nodded in agreement, looking around for Lily.

"I put down the snout, and the eyes, but I couldn't think of the other," Peter said, and the three other rolled their eyes at him.

"You run around with one every month! How thick could you get?" Sirius asked, receiving a smack in the head by James when Peter looked down at the floor.

"Lily-flower!" Sirius said happily, running over to hug Lily where she was standing with Hestia and Alice.

"Hi Sirius," she chuckled, "How'd you guys like question 51?" she winked at the rest of the Marauders, who grinned at her.

"I see you're in a significantly better mood," James said, winding his arms around her waist.

"Well, the written section wasn't so bad, and we have an hour until the practical, so I'm going to relax for about 45 minutes," she grinned up at James, who chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose.

"You will be fine," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder as they walked out towards the Marauders infamous tree with the rest of their friends.

"I suggest we practice!" Sirius declared, flopping down into the grass at the base of the tree.

"Sirius how do you practice for a Defense practical?" Alice said exasperatedly as she lay down with her head in Franks lap.

"You practice on others," Peter piped up, and the girls snorted.

"Not a bad idea," Lily grinned, pulling her wand out and pointing it at Sirius, who yelled and hid behind Hestia.

"My boyfriend ladies and gentlemen," Hestia chuckled, kissing Sirius on the cheek.

"He hid behind you so you'd get cursed instead? Chivalrous," Frank snorted, and everyone chuckled.

"Hey this brings back memories," Sirius said, ignoring Frank and looking over to where Snape was sitting down a few feet away from them, "Just like after our Defense OWL. How nice," he snickered, pulling out his wand. James looked down at Lily, who was looking at the other bank of the Black Lake.

"How about we don't?" Remus said, looking at Lily, who looked up to see the Marauders looking at her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't listening," she said, and James rolled his eyes, "Okay fine I was. I don't care," she shrugged, and Remus raised his eyebrows, "You have to practice don't you?" she grinned at Sirius, who yelled gleefully.

"Lily-flower you're the best," he said happily, and picked her up, swinging her around.

"We're not going to do it," Remus said, and James gave him a grateful smile.

"Moony!" Sirius whined, and Remus rolled his eyes, "The Head Girl said it was okay!" he said happily.

"Head Boy says no," James grinned, and Sirius' jaw dropped as he looked down at James.

"I hate the Head Boy," he muttered, and put Lily on the floor, "C'mon Head Girl," he said, holding his hand out to her. Lily rolled her eyes and Sirius grabbed her hand, walking away, in the opposite direction from Severus.

"Where do you think you're going?" James said, grabbing Lily from behind around the waist.

"She is coming with me," Sirius declared, and James rolled his eyes, picking Lily up, "Everyone hates me," Sirius whined, stomping his foot and Hestia got up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"I don't hate you," she grinned, and Sirius beamed down at her.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you," he grinned, kissing her and Hestia chuckled, "I have an idea!" Sirius declared.

"Congratulations," Frank said sarcastically, and they snorted.

"I have an idea!" Sirius repeated, ignoring Frank, "I say we throw Lily-flower in the lake," he said happily, and Lily gasped.

"Why me?" she asked in a high voice, and Sirius grinned down at her.

"Because you caused us Marauders six years of James whining about how 'She wont talk to me'," he chuckled, Lily and James turned bright red as everyone laughed.

"Why are you blaming _me _for his incessant whining?" she asked, and James coughed.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry," she grinned, kissing him on the cheek, and James rolled his eyes.

"Prongs are you on my side?" Sirius said happily, and James nodded, picking Lily up.

"JAMES!" Lily shrieked, kicking and slapping at him.

"I'll help!" Sirius said happily, grabbing Lily's feet. James grinned at him and held Lily's hands in his.

"HESTIA! ALICE!" Lily shrieked over at her friends, who were too busy laughing to help, "REMUS!" she yelled, and Remus shook his head as he wiped his face from tears of laughter, "FRANK?" Frank winked at her and Lily exhaled angrily.

"Ready Lily-flower?" Sirius asked happily, as he and James began to swing her back and forth. Lily screamed and shook her head, "Alright. Three, two, one, go!" he yelled. Lily felt the boys release her and flew in the air, screaming, with her eyes squeezed shut. She crashed into the freezing water with a splash, and pushed herself to the top, shivering, giving all her friends death glares. James grinned as he noticed how incredibly un-threatening she looked, with blue lips and chattering teeth. Lily pulled her wand out and pointed it at all of them, and they all flew into the lake, screaming.

"LILY YOU MESSED UP MY HAIR!" Hestia screeched as she resurfaced, swimming over to Lily. Lily noticed how the Marauders, seemingly unaware to the arctic temperatures of the water, were swimming around happily. Lily screamed and swum away from Hestia, and shrieked as something rose up in front of her. James laughed as Lily screamed, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Go away," she said, smacking at his chest, and James shook his head, dropping kisses all over her face.

"Get a room!" Hestia said, pulling Lily away from James and dunking her, "I can't believe you did that!" she yelled, laughing. Lily resurfaced, spluttering and splashed water at Hestia. Alice, Frank, Peter and Remus got out of the water, drying off, and laughed as the girls had a splash fight.

"Don't drown my girlfriend!" Sirius yelled, pulling Lily off Hestia, whom she was now dunking.

"Let go of mine!" James yelled, tickling Sirius, who yelled and let go of Lily, fighting off James.

"Sirius Black, I had no idea you were so ticklish," Hestia giggled as she made her way to the bank, followed by Lily. The girls got out of the water and dried themselves off with their wands.

"Prongs how could you! That was our secret!" Sirius shrieked, swimming after James, who was swimming away, laughing. James climbed out of the lake, dried himself, and ran to hide behind Lily. Sirius climbed out, and, not bothering to wipe himself, ran over to Lily, who shrieked.

"Sirius I don't permit wet dogs to come near me," she said, waving her foot at him and Sirius stopped, before throwing his head back and laughing.

"Nice one Lily-flower!" he wheezed, drying himself off, before throwing his arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Lily it's time to go in," Remus said, and Lily's face drained.

"WHAT? ALREADY?" she shrieked, and Remus nodded sadly. She took a few deep breaths before walking towards the Great Hall. James ran over and grabbed her hand and gave her a hopeful squeeze. They reached the corridor outside the Great Hall once more and they all hugged each other before taking their designated places in line.

"BLACK!"

"Yes Minerva love,"

"I have called you twice!"

"Oh sorry to keep you waiting," he said, and with a grin to his friends, marched into the Great Hall, head high, "see you on the other side Lily-flower!" he yelled, and Lily giggled as Sirius twirled into the Great Hall.

"Daniels, Diggory, Edwards, Evans," McGonagall called a little while later. Lily turned around and got encouraging smiles from her friends, before gulping and walking in. The hall was set up exactly as it had been for OWLS.

"Lily, go to Examiner Anolly at the very end," McGonagall said, "Good luck," she said, patting Lily gently on the shoulder, and Lily gave her a nervous smile before walking over to the examiner.

"Hi," Lily said and the examiner grinned at her. The examiner was female, no older than 40, who had kind eyes, which instantly made Lily feel calmer.

"Hello Ms. Evans, is it?" she asked, and Lily nodded, and the witch smiled once more, "Okay, can you please produce a patronus charm?" Lily grinned and closed her eyes, thinking of that afternoon in the lake.

"Expecto Patronum!" she said, and the silver doe burst out of her wand and pranced around them. The examiner grinned at it and turned to Lily to continue her questioning. After she had asked her significant amount of questions, she smiled at Lily sweetly, "Well done dear, you may go,"

"Thank you," Lily smiled, before walking out of the doors. She saw Sirius sitting under the Marauder tree and ran over to him, sitting down next to him.

"Lily-flower!" he said happily, putting his arm around her shoulders and Lily grinned at him, "how'd it go?"

"Pretty well I'd say," she grinned, "You?"

"Examiner asked me to produce a patronus, and then the stupid dog jumped on her," he chuckled, and Lily laughed, "In my defense, it was the attractive young examiner.

"Sirius she was no less than 40!" she squealed, and Sirius shrugged, winking at Lily, who rolled her eyes, "You are incorrigible"

"No, I'm Sirius," he winked, and Lily laughed. Before long, Remus, Hestia and Frank joined them, and the five of them spent their time laughing and discussing the examination underneath the Marauder tree, waiting for their friends.

"Pettigrew, Potter, Prewett, Smith, Snape," McGonagall called, and the three Gryffindors walked in together, "Potter, examiner Anolly," she said, and James grinned, heading over to the youngest examiner.

"Hello," he said politely, and the examiner smiled at him.

"Hi there Mr. Potter, now, can you please begin with a patronus charm?" James grinned and the silver stag shot out of his wand. Across the hall, he saw a doe erupt and turned to see Severus Snape controlling the doe, and his stomach flipped. Severus Snape really was in love with Lily, "A stag? Well that's interesting. I recently instructed a female with a doe," she said, wagging her eyebrows and James laughed.

"Yes that would be my girlfriend," he chuckled, and the examiner nodded, smiling.

"Makes sense," she grinned, before continuing with the examination. Once he was done, James walked out of the Great hall, after Alice, while Peter was still getting instructed.

"James!" Lily squealed, running over to him and wrapping her arms around his torso, "how did it go?" she asked, and James grinned down at her.

"Well, the examiner commented on our patronus compatibility," he chuckled, and Lily laughed, "But other than that, smooth sailing," he grinned, and Lily smiled up at him.

"That's great James! Now I'm going to go study for tomorrow!" she said, but James grabbed her wrist.

"Lily its Potions tomorrow. You know everything about it by heart," he rolled his eyes, and Lily shrugged.

"There's nothing wrong with being prepared," she said defiantly, and James rolled his eyes.

"There is something wrong, however, with ditching your boyfriend and friends to study," he said cheekily, kissing the tip of her nose, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Fine, blackmail me," she muttered, as James led her over to the tree, "So how do you study so well anyway?" she asked, as they sat down under the tree, and James blushed.

"He relates everything to you," Sirius snorted, and Lily raised her eyebrows.

"It's quite a productive way of studying, and it helps us remember too," Remus shrugged, and James threw him a grateful look.

"Give us an example!" Alice said, sitting up straighter.

"Okay let's do it for Potions tomorrow," Lily said, sitting up straighter.

"Yes, this way, Lily can continue her obsessive studying, and I can learn about your secret talent," Hestia grinned, sitting straighter on Sirius' lap.

"Fine," James said, pink, but rolling his eyes.

"Okay, lets see," said Remus, scratching his chin, "Polyjuice Potion!"

"Polyjuice Potion is the potion that changes appearance, and I don't want Lily to change at all. Also, it takes a month to brew and is dangerous if a mistake is made, which is basically how life was every time I asked Lily out," he shrugged, and Lily turned bright red as everyone laughed.

"Wow that was amazing, okay, erm, Felix Felices!" Hestia said excitedly.

"Easy," James shrugged, playing with Lily's hair, "If taken by a person, it guarantees all endeavors for one day to succeed. I wanted Felix Felices so that when I asked Lily out the next time she would say yes," he grinned at Lily, who stuck her tongue out at him, but with a smile on her face.

"Amortentia!"

"Oh even I can do that," Lily scoffed, "It is a love potion that arouses powerful feelings in a person by sending off scents which they find most attractive. This reminds James of me as it is my scent of Orchids from my shampoo that he smells when it is made, and it is the potion that we were brewing together that practically got us back together," she shrugged, and James laughed.

"Exactly!" he said, kissing Lily on the cheek, and everyone laughed.

"James, marry me," Hestia said, leaning forward, and Sirius yelled.

"No no, mine," said Alice, and Frank guffawed.

"Why?" Peter asked curiously.

"Because, that was so cute!" Hestia squealed, and hugged Lily, who was laughing. James turned bright red and ruffled his hair.

* * *

"I can't believe you actually do that," Lily chuckled, and James grinned down at her, before leaning down and kissing her. They were back in the Heads dorm and Lily had decided to listen to James study instead of her own method.

"It combined studying with something I like to learn about," he shrugged, and Lily blushed.

"Okay I am going to sleep now," she declared, standing up, and James grinned up at her.

"I'll go in a minute, need to study some more," he said, and Lily nodded, before walking away.

"Good night James!"

"Night love,"

**

* * *

Merry Christmas everyone! Review!**


	21. Late Night Excursions

**Hey guys! I'm going to my other grandparents house tomorrow morning, and they have no internet (I know right!) so I won't be updating again until next year, aka in 4 days. I'm going to **_**try **_**to get two chapters up today to make up for that, and I promise I'll be writing the whole time I'm there because I will get severely bored, so you can expect a few chapters on the first and second of January. I love you all! Happy New Year! 2011 is going to be awesome.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter 1 through 7, but I do own this story line. **

_**

* * *

Previously: **_

_Gryffindor won the game against Hufflepuff_

_It's NEWT time! _

* * *

"Lily help me with this!"

"No wait she's helping me with this!"

"Lily do you brew clockwise or anticlockwise for Wolfsbane?"

"Lily-flower!"

"What Sirius?"

"I don't know, I felt left out, everyone else was yelling for you," Sirius said cheekily, grinning at her, and Lily groaned.

"James," Lily whined, resting her forehead on his chest. It was the morning of the Potions NEWT and as Lily was the best in their year at Potions, everyone from all houses, except Slytherin, was asking her for help. James chuckled, and smoothed her hair.

"This is the price you pay for being a know-it-all," he said, kissing her on top of the head, and Lily snapped her head back, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Lils," Lily groaned and turned around to Hestia, "Do you add roots or scales first for Amortentia?"

"We made it in Potions a couple months ago!" she whined, stomping her foot, and Hestia just looked at her blankly, as if to say 'so?' "You add the scales, and then after it's done brewing add the roots," she said, and Hestia grinned up at her.

"Thank you!" Lily rolled her eyes and leaned her head on James' shoulder.

"I can't wait till Potions is over," she groaned, and Remus yelled.

"Lily, don't say that! When Potions is over we have to study for Transfiguration on Monday!" he squeaked, and Lily's eyes widened.

"I don't want to study for transfiguration!" she whined, and James chuckled.

"It'll be okay," he said soothingly, and Hestia snorted.

"That's because it's your best bloody subject," she said to James, who grinned at her.

"I'll help you study," he said gently to Lily, who laughed.

"Don't tell me you relate transfiguration to me?" she laughed, and James grinned down at her.

"It's the most fun with transfiguration!" he said, and Sirius guffawed.

"I remember last year with human transfiguration! "This spell turns your eyebrows yellow, and Lily shouldn't do that because it clashes badly with her hair'" Sirius mimicked James' voice, and they all laughed.

"'This spell is bad for Lily as it would make your hair change colour and I like her auburn hair so she shouldn't use it'" Remus snickered, and Lily laughed as James stuck his tongue out at his friends

"Fine, mock me, but I still got an O on that exam," he shrugged, and his friends grinned at him.

"Time to go!" Alice squeaked as McGonagall stood up.

"I can't do this!" Hestia squealed, smacking her forehead with her textbook repeatedly.

"You will be fine," Lily said soothingly, and her friends shot her nasty looks.

"Speak for yourself," Sirius snorted, and with a grin to Lily, he walked out of the Great Hall with Hestia. They reentered the Great Hall to find it, once again, full of individual desks. Lily found herself sitting next to Sirius, who continued to talk and laugh until the examiner stood up.

"You may begin…now!" Lily opened her exam paper and flipped through the pages, relaxing as she realized she knew everything the questions were asking for.

_1. What is the purpose of Felix Felices?_

_312. Note the method of brewing Amortentia and the varying effects on different people, as well as giving an example of the effects._

_554. Describe the process of Polyjuice Potion, as well as state what the potion does._

_999. Compare Polyjuice Potion intake and Animagus transformation on a person's appearance_

Lily chuckled as she filled in the questions, wondering how she would have reacted to these questions had she not been dating James.

* * *

"Time is up!" Lily dropped her quill as the examiner pointed his wand up in the air, creating a loud banging sound. She sighed and stretched out the knots in her shoulders and neck as the Examiner waved his wand and the exams rolled itself up, flying towards him. Sirius stood up and jumped on Lily, who screamed as he picked her up.

"We're done!" he yelled happily, and Lily looked at him questioningly.

"Sirius, we've finished two of six NEWT written exams,"

"We're done for this week!"

"No we have the practical in like ten minutes," Hestia said, rolling her eyes as she walked over to them.

"Fine burst my bubble," Sirius whined, putting Lily back on the floor and walking away with his arms crossed. Lily laughed and swung her arm around Hestia's shoulders, making their way out of the Great Hall to wait for their practical.

"Lils!" James said, catching up to her and throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"Hi," she grinned, and James smiled down at her.

"Why so happy?"

"Your stupid study method kept penetrating my mind so that's how I remembered everything," she said, rolling her eyes, and James laughed.

"Yes! Thank you James it helped me too," Alice said happily, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Line up!" Slughorn instructed, his large belly jiggling as he held out along list of all the seventh years, "Ah lovely Lily, you may stand in front, good luck," he said fondly, and Lily grinned at James before walking over to her spot, "Mr. Black you may go in now," he said to Sirius, after his name had been called out a few times.

"Yes Professor I heard you, doesn't mean I want to go in," Sirius said cheekily before walking into the Great Hall, and Slughorn chortled. Lily rolled her eyes and when her name was called, she waved to Hestia before walking in. She was assigned a different examiner this time, an old wizard, and she was instructed to brew Amortentia. Lily smiled whilst brewing it, and inhaled deeply as she smelt the familiar smell of James.

* * *

"Well done Ms. Evans, you may exit the hall," he said, and Lily nodded, before leaving. She stretched as she exited and lay down underneath the Marauder tree. Sirius was nowhere to be found, but she didn't mind; she needed a few minutes of peace and quiet. After she had taken a few breaths, she pulled her Potions textbook out of her bag and looked through it, making sure she had answered the questions correctly. She made little tutting noises at aspects she wasn't sure if she'd written down, and grinned in satisfaction before closing the book.

"How'd it go?" Remus asked, sitting down next to her, and Lily grinned at him.

"If I'm not mistaken, I think I just got an Outstanding," Sirius said confidently, sitting down on the other side of Lily.

"Were you thinking of Lily the whole time?" Remus asked, and Sirius barked a laugh before nodding.

"I am going to kill that James Potter," Alice grumbled, sitting down across from Lily.

"Now what did he do?"

"I kept thinking of how Amortentia related to Lily, and I was waiting for it to smell like bloody Orchids, which it didn't!" she whined, and they laughed as Alice stuck her tongue out at Lily, "You and your bloody shampoo,"

"Don't blame me for what James did," Lily said, raising her hands in surrender and heard a scoff from nearby.

"Thanks ever so much for having so much faith in me," James said teasingly, sitting down behind Lily and playing with her hair.

"May I ask why you were reading a textbook?" Sirius asked, looking at Lily, who raised her eyebrows at him, "I was sitting over there," he said, pointing towards the clearing near the Forbidden Forest, "and then I saw you reading a textbook and I didn't want to come over until it was safe," he said cheekily, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"I was checking to make sure I got everything down," she said, and Hestia, who had just sat down, rolled her eyes.

"Lily I saw you writing away as if there was no tomorrow. You'll get an O," she said grumpily, and Lily grinned at Hestia, who hated Potions with gusto.

"So, what exams are there next week and in what order?" Frank said, sitting down next to Alice and kissing her on the cheek.

"Monday is Transfiguration," Remus said, to general groaning, "Tuesday we have Charms," Lily grinned happily and James pulled on a lock of her hair, and she turned around to stick her tongue out at him; James wasn't a great fan of Charms.

"Wednesday is Divination," Peter groaned, and Lily groaned internally. She hated Divination. She usually spent her time making up the answers to questions, especially the practical's.

"Thursday is Runes," Lily said, and James shrugged

"Runes I can handle, Divination I cannot," he said, and Lily grinned up at him.

"What, no fancy way to remember it by?" she grinned, and James laughed and shook his head.

"I don't like to relate you to things as useless as Divination," he grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes, smiling

"I think I'm going to go study," Lily said, standing up, but was pulled back down by James, Sirius, and Remus, "Are you all out to sabotage my studying?" she whined, as she fell on James' lap.

"No, we're going to go celebrate two finished NEWT exams," Sirius said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"There's no point celebrating when we're stuck in school," she sighed, and she saw the Marauders eyes twinkle, "Oh Merlin," she sighed, as they stood up, pulling the rest of them with them.

* * *

"Where are we?" Hestia asked, tugging on Sirius' arm. They were in a deserted corridor in front of a statue of a witch.

"On the way to celebrate," Remus shrugged.

"Yes, let's party in a deserted corridor," Frank said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, and Lily laughed.

"Amateurs," Sirius said happily, letting go of Hestia's hand and heading over to the statue of a witch in front of them, "Should I?" he said, turning to look at his friends, who grinned.

"We're about to reveal a secret passage," Remus said dramatically, "I think this calls for a moment of silence," he said, and the rest of them rolled their eyes.

"Whatever Moony, I want Firewhisky," Sirius chuckled, and while Lily chewed over what he had said with a frown, Sirius pulled out his wand and tapped the statue of the witch, "_Dissendium_" he said, and, to general surprise, the statue started to move, revealing a narrow passageway, "Hurry up," he said, herding the bewildered girls and Frank into the passageway.

"Has this always been here?" Lily hissed, grabbing onto James' hand tightly; it was really dark.

"Yes, but it is not in _Hogwarts: A History _if that's what you were wondering," he winked, and Lily flushed.

"Oh this is ridiculous," Hestia huffed, "_Lumos," _she said, and there was light. Lily looked around the dirty, surprisingly wide passageway, "Oh wow, so this is how you sneak out," she said, impressed, and the Marauders laughed.

"We have finally solved the mystery," Alice said happily, draping her arm over Lily's shoulder, and Lily laughed.

"Mystery?" James asked curiously.

"Where you got all the Firewhisky and Butterbeer during all the stupid parties in the Common Room," Hestia chuckled, and the Marauders beamed.

"Yes, it's been bothering us, especially Lils, since, what, first year?" Hestia teased, nudging Lily, who turned pink and looked at the floor determinedly.

"Oh shut up," Lily said, embarrassed, nudging Hestia back, and Hestia laughed, before walking over and wrapping her arms around Sirius' arm. James walked over to Lily and kissed her on top of the head as he put his arm around her waist, "How long is the walk?" she asked, and James sighed.

"It's a fair stretch," he said, gesturing forward, and Lily sighed. The tunnel was going downhill, so she grinned.

"Okay everyone sit down," she announced. They all looked at her curiously, as if she'd lost her mind, and she rolled her eyes, "Just sit," she instructed. Remus, knowing where she was going, grinned and sat cross-legged on the floor, and was followed by everyone else. Lily sat down on James and he wrapped his arms around her middle, "Ready? _Glisseo,_" she said, pointing at the floor, which hastily turned into a slide. The Gryffindors slid down the tunnel, laughing and screaming, until they reached what looked like a basement.

"Nice one Lily-flower!" Sirius said happily, getting up and dusting off the back of his clothes. He started to dust Hestia's clothes off, too close to her backside and Hestia shrieked, jumping away from Sirius.

"Sirius Black watch your hands," she instructed sternly, and Sirius snickered. She walked over to Remus and linked her elbow through his, and Remus snickered at Sirius, who was wearing a faux insulted expression.

"Where are we?" Alice asked, restraining a laugh at the squabble.

"Honeydukes Cellar," Peter said happily, and Lily's eyes widened. James laughed at Lily's expression and pulled her towards the stairs that were on the opposite side of the basement. Soon enough, they found themselves in the colorful candy store, which was crowded, due to the fact that it was about 5 in the evening.

"Oi! What are you doing back here?" The owner yelled, and the Gryffindors ran out from behind the counter to the main store. They laughed and talked until they reached the Three Broomsticks. Lily looked around Hogsmeade warily, her hand gripping her wand in her pocket.

"Lily, relax," said James quietly, kissing her shoulder, and squeezing her hand, "We'll apparate somewhere if it happens again, alright?" he said soothingly, and Lily nodded.

There was, however, no need to apparate anywhere. Lily felt a lot calmer as the Gryffindors made their way back into Honeydukes, "How are we going to get back there now?" Hestia whispered to Sirius, who was watching the storeowner.

"We cause a diversion," he grinned devilishly, and Lily groaned; Sirius' diversions usually involved large messes. Remus, sensing the messy diversion that was going to happen, cleared his throat.

"How about I do it this time?" he suggested, and Sirius pouted, "It'll be fun," he assured Sirius, whose face brightened. Remus pointed his wand at a rather large customer, who reminded Lily of Vernon Dursley, who started to cough.

"Your darn candy! It's stuck!" the man wheezed, and the storeowner ran over to him, as the large man started to dance around. Sirius snickered and Hestia rolled her eyes, pushing her boyfriend over to the counter. The Gryffindors snuck into the back, and ran down the stairs to the cellar as the store was distracted, watching the storeowner relieve the large man.

They slid back to the castle, enjoying themselves, and stopped at the entrance. Hestia made to push open the statue, but was stopped by Sirius. She raised her eyebrows at him, and Sirius gestured to James, who had pulled a rather old piece of parchment out of his robes.

"Do you carry that with you all the time?" Lily asked, exasperated. James grinned and winked at her before turning back to the map.

"Alright, Filch is on the second floor, the corridors are deserted and the teachers are in their offices. Let's go," he said, and walked over to the door. Frank, Alice and Hestia were staring at the map with bewildered expressions, and Lily giggled. They pushed the statue and ran out of the passageway quickly, before shutting it behind them, "Alright, now we can relax," James said happily, and Frank raised his eyebrows at him.

"Are you joking? It's way past curfew!" he said, and James rolled his eyes.

"You're with the Head Boy and Head Girl, why are you panicking?" Lily teased, and Frank rolled his eyes as he remembered.

"I'm sorry, I expected them to be more responsible," he said cheekily, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm glad you guys are the Heads. This way I get to do this without getting in trouble," Sirius said happily, walking in between Lily and James and wrapping his arms around both of their shoulders. Lily rolled her eyes

"You should be glad that James finally got Lily otherwise Lily would have restricted all of you," Alice said teasingly, and Lily laughed as the Marauders looked at her.

"Nice going mate," Sirius said in a higher voice, clapping a blushing James on the back. Lily grinned and messed up James' hair.

"Go to bed," James said, pointing towards the Portrait Hole as they reached Gryffindor Tower.

"Yes, your Headship," Sirius said dramatically, bowing down to James, and Lily giggled. Sirius had had a few bottles of Firewhisky, and he was acting more, well, Sirius-like than he usually did. James chuckled and the Head students watched as their friends walked through the Portrait Hole.

"That was fun," Lily said, swinging their intertwined hands between them. James looked down at her bright eyes and flushed cheeks and grinned down at her.

"Was sneaking out exhilarating?" he teased, and Lily grinned up at him.

"Be quiet, it's not everyday I get to sneak out of the castle. I'm just glad I got to do that before I graduated," she said happily, and James smiled down at her.

"Good thing you finally said yes then, right?" he teased, nudging her, and Lily laughed as they entered the Heads Dorm, "So Lily Evans, you actually wanted to sneak out before you graudated?" he asked curiously, and Lily shrugged.

"I'm not the perfect goody two shoes like everyone thinks I am," she shrugged, and James smiled down at her, "I made a list of things I wanted to do before I graduated during OWLS," she grinned, and James raised his eyebrows.

"May I see that list?" he teased, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Sure why not," she chuckled, and James' eyes twinkled. Lily grabbed his hand and made her way to her room.

"Lily Evans is dragging me to her bedroom, I never thought I'd see the day," James winked, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Head out of the gutter Potter," she teased, and let go of his hand as they entered her room. She walked over to her trunk and pulled out her little notebook and muggle pen that Gwenog had given her a few Christmases ago. She walked over and sat on the floor by the foot of her bed and James slid off the bed to sit next to her. He grabbed the notebook and flipped through the pages, until he found a page full of Lily's handwriting, titled 'List'.

"Original," he snorted, and Lily blushed, nudging him.

"Shut up Potter," she said, and James kissed her on the cheek before reading the list.

"I can cross these off now," she said, leaning over to put little crosses next to a few of the objectives. James laughed as Lily leaned over him to cross them out.

"We will complete this after NEWTS," James declared, and Lily looked up at him incredulously.

"Are you sure?" James grinned and leaned down to kiss her.

"Lils, you already know I'd do anything for you," he said exasperatedly, leaning his forehead on hers, and Lily beamed up at him, a blush creeping under her cheeks.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" she teased, pinching his cheek fondly and James flushed.

"Nothing, I did all the work," he said matter-of-factly, and Lily gasped, nudging him. James nudged her back and Lily nudged him harder, "Lils I'm going to win," he said cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Not likely Potter," she chuckled, leaning on him and tackling him to the floor. She ended up on top of him and kissed his nose, "I win," she sung, and stood up. James sat up and his hand flew to his hair as he grinned up at Lily.

"You wouldn't have won if I was trying," he said, and Lily rolled her eyes. James stood up, towering over Lily, and started backing her up into the wall. Lily felt the wall against her back and groaned, and James laughed.

"All the time!" she whined as James pressed himself up against her and James chuckled, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her, impossibly, closer to him.

"I told you," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers once more. Lily giggled and got on her tiptoes and kissed him. James chuckled against her lips and kissed her back. Lily pulled away quickly and James groaned, "That's not fair," he said, and Lily grinned up at him.

"This is me getting you back," she laughed, and slipped out, crawling under her covers, "I'm going to sleep, leave," she grinned, and James raised his eyebrows at her.

"No I'm not leaving," he declared, sitting down on her dresser. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Well I'm sleeping," she said, and James shrugged. Lily rolled her eyes and pulled the covers up to her face, closing her eyes. James continued to watch her, "I cant sleep with you watching me," she mumbled, opening an eye to peek and James, who grinned at her.

"I told you I wasn't leaving," he said, raising his hands as if in surrender, and Lily sighed.

"Well if you're going to stay here, sleep, or face the other way while I fall asleep," she said, and James laughed.

"I like you when you've had a few Butterbeers," he grinned, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"Stop distracting me!" she said, and James nodded, "Are you going to turn?" she asked, and James sighed, sitting down and leaning against the bed, facing away from her, "Good boy," she said, patting his hair, and closed her eyes to go to sleep as James chuckled. Lily's breathing became really slow and James turned around to see Lily fast asleep. He stood up and leaned over, kissing her on her forehead and moving a few strands of hair away from her face, tucking them behind her ear, before stretching and walking over to his room.

* * *

"Hestia!"

Hestia woke and sat up quickly as she heard someone whisper her name. She rubbed at her eyes, and looked around the dark dorm for the source of the noise.

"Erm, yes?" she whispered uncertainly to the dorm, feeling extremely ridiculous.

"Hest, over here," the voice whispered, and she looked around.

"I cant see anything so that's not helping," she whispered to the darkness, and rubbed at her face, "Maybe I'm going crazy and talking to nothing, or maybe I'm dreaming," she muttered to herself, and she heard a chuckle, "Who is it?" she whispered, and the chuckle sounded again.

"It's your conscience!" the voice whispered, and Hestia chuckled.

"Sirius what are you doing in my dorm?"

"How did you know it was me?" Sirius said in a high whisper, and Hestia felt a weight near her feet. She pulled her wand out and lit it, revealing her boyfriends face.

"Only you would say something so ridiculous," she teased, blinking rapidly at the bright light illuminated from her wand.

"I love you too," Sirius grinned, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she whined, and Sirius put his finger on her lips.

"Shh Alice is sleeping," he whispered. Hestia turned over on her bed and looked over at her bedside table for her watch. She picked it up and looked at the time, a mask of horror appearing on her face, and she looked up at Sirius' guilty and sheepish expression.

"You woke me up at bloody 3 in the morning?" she whispered dangerously, and Sirius flinched at the anger in her voice.

"I can't sleep! And I wanted to try something," he shrugged, and Hestia's eyebrows rose, curious.

"What did you want to try?"

"Well, look at me, up in the girls dormitory," he said, and a wide grin appeared on his face. Hestia's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to ask, but Sirius pinched her lips closed in between his forefinger and thumb, "can we talk somewhere else, my beautiful voice cannot be heard with all this whispering," he said, and Hestia rolled her eyes, smacking his hand away from her face. He stood up and held out his hand, and Hestia rolled her eyes, grabbed her wand, and allowed him to lead her out of the dorm.

"Where are we going?" she asked at her normal volume as they reached the Common Room.

"AH so nice to hear my melodic, pitch perfect tones," he said happily, talking extremely loudly, and Hestia giggled, "I don't know, where do you want to go?" he asked curiously, and Hestia rolled her eyes and shrugged, "You are useless," Sirius teased, and Hestia glared at him.

"Fine let's go outside by the Black Lake," she challenged, and Sirius grinned.

"Fine," he said, and tugged her hand.

"Wait, no, Sirius! We'll get in trouble!" she squealed, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Who cares?"

"I care! I don't know about you but I don't want to get expelled before I finish the damn NEWTS!" she squeaked, and Sirius barked a laugh, "Shut up!" she squealed, clapping her hand over his mouth in the deserted hallway.

"Fine, coward, let's go to the Room of Requirement," he said, and Hestia grinned. Sirius rolled his eyes, "chicken," he said, and Hestia narrowed her eyes at him. They walked quietly over to the Room of Requirement and, once it was ready, walked in, "Better?" Sirius teased; Hestia had been incredibly tense and jumpy in the dark castle.

"Oh shut up Sirius Black," she muttered, and Sirius grinned, "Now, how in the name of Merlin did you get in my dorm?" she asked, and Sirius' grin widened.

"I used a broom," he shrugged and Hestia's eyes widened.

"And it worked?"

"Obviously," he chuckled, and Hestia blushed.

"I mean, it was that simple?" she breathed, and Sirius nodded happily, "That's bollocks!" she squealed, and Sirius laughed.

"I didn't think it would work, but then again, I never thought the founders were that bright," he shrugged, and Hestia slapped him in the arm, "What? All they did was find a bloody building!" he exclaimed, and Hestia frowned.

"Touché"

"Exactly! And then they just used their wands and magicked everything and then called it Hogwarts," he shrugged, and Hestia groaned.

"You just ruined Hogwarts for me," she whined, and Sirius grinned at her, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her towards him.

"I can make it better," he said quietly, and Hestia giggled.

"Prove it," she whispered, putting her arms around his shoulders, and Sirius grinned down at her, before leaning down.

**

* * *

Remus' Occlumency Diary**

Hello again dear friend. Oh, wow, I'm pathetic. It has happened. My brilliant mind had been affected by those twats I call friends. Merlin, help me. I'm losing all my brain cells. What am I to do? Now all I have left are my good looks, which, as a matter of fact, may get me somewhere in life. Who knows, maybe I'll be a muggle model. That would be fun. And I'd be able to transfigure my appearance to enhance it. Not that I would need to do much, I'm not Wormtail after all. Ouch that was uncalled for, sorry Wormtail!

I am bored. This is why I am writing in here. Sirius bloody Black wasn't able to sleep after we got back at 11, and it is now 3 in the bloody morning and I cannot sleep because Padfoot has given me his ridiculous insomnia. He has left the dorm to do Merlin knows what, but he went with a broom, so I might find his dead body on the Quidditch Pitch tomorrow morning. If only I would be that lucky. I am, of course, joking. I do not know what I would do without the ridiculousness that is Sirius Black, as well as the lunacy that is James Potter. I am going to miss my friends dearly after graduation.

Granted, we are all getting a flat together, which, personally, I think is ridiculous as we could all just go live in James' mansion. Merlin knows there's enough room, but James wants to get a 'Marauder Bachelor Pad'. Which is a ridiculous idea if you ask me as two of the four Marauders are not bachelors. Granted, they are not married, but they will be soon. You would know if you had seen Sirius and Hestia, or James and Lily. Especially James and Lily. It's quite adorable to see them together. Also quite depressing in a way, especially to me. We'll get back to this. Let me finish about my friends first. Anyway, until we get a flat, I'm stuck living in my parents' house, where I have to go through my painful transformations in the cold cellar behind a door that is chained shut. Depressing no? I wish my friends would be able to sneak in there, it would be a lot more fun, but I will not let them. It's different in a large space, such as the Forbidden Forest. But in a cellar, I may as well kill them. Anyway, on to less morbid topics, but depressing all the same.

I was talking/writing or whatever about how James and Lily make me depressed in a way. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for them, but I'm lonely! There, I've said it. Couples surround me and it's getting to me. Everyone has someone! I have nobody. James has Lily. Sirius had Hestia. Frank and Alice are going to get married. The only one left is Pete, and lets face it, he's not such good company. I need to find someone, because my best mates are always off or thinking about their significant others.

So that is my resolution before I graduate, which I will put into immediate action this weekend. I, Remus John Lupin, am going to get a girlfriend.

* * *

"MORNING PRONGS!" Sirius yelled across the Great Hall as James walked in. James chuckled and made his way over to where his friends were sitting, and sat down next to Hestia.

"Morning Pads," James chuckled, "Why the good mood?" he asked, and Sirius reddened.

"No reason, I was greeting my best mate, is that not allowed? Anyway, where is my second favorite female?" he asked, not waiting for James to answer the first question and looking around the Great Hall.

"You do know a lot of female's Padfoot," Remus snorted, then threw Hestia an apologetic glance, to which Hestia chuckled.

"Let me rephrase, where is my favorite flower?" he asked, and James chuckled.

"I have no idea. She was gone when I woke up, I'm assuming she's in the library," he said, and Sirius guffawed.

"So I'm guessing its going to be another Lily-less time?" he asked, and James rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm going to go restrain her from studying around lunch-time," he shrugged, and Hestia raised her eyebrows.

"I don't know if that's a possibility James," she said, and James chuckled.

"I have my ways"

"Yes, I believe his method is the art of snogging," Frank snorted, and James reddened as his friends laughed.

"You said she's in the library?" Hestia asked in a high voice, and James turned to see that she was an odd shade of pink.

"Probably, are you alright Hest?" James asked, and Hestia grinned and nodded.

"Yes I'm fine, better than fine actually, I'm going to go find Lily," she said, jumping up and running out of the Great Hall.

"What's wrong with her?" Alice asked, looking at Sirius, who was red, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Nothing!" he squeaked, and they raised their eyebrows. Sirius never squeaked.

"Pads," James said, and Sirius turned to look at him.

"Prongs can I talk to you?" he asked, and James laughed and nodded. Sirius stood up and walked out of the Great Hall with James.

"Your friends are odd Remus," Alice said, turning to Remus, who snorted.

"Tell me about it," he grinned, and stood up, stretching. Lots of girls eyes flickered over to him and Remus smirked slightly. Maybe finding a girlfriend wouldn't be too hard, "See you later," he said, and walked out of the Great Hall, aware, for the first time in his Hogwarts life, of the girls eyes that trailed after him as he walked away.

"Everyone's so odd today," Alice said, turning to Frank, who laughed.

"Guess it's just us today," he chuckled, kissing her on the cheek.

"Wedding plans!" she declared, and Frank groaned.

"Actually, I'm going to go study," he said, standing up; Frank hated wedding planning almost as much as Hestia and Lily did, "Bye sweetheart," he said, kissing her on the cheek and running from the Great Hall.

"Hey Pete!" Alice said, as Peter sat down, "Want to help me with something?" she asked, and a bemused Peter nodded politely. Poor bloke.

* * *

"Lily Clare Evans," Hestia said, flopping down on a chair in front of what looked like a rather large pile of books, but Hestia could see Lily's red hair through the gaps between the stacks of books. Lily didn't respond, just as she always was when studying, "Lily I have to tell you something," Hestia whined, again to no response, "Oh for the love of Merlin," Hestia groaned, pulling out her wand. She pointed it at the stacks of books, which flew back to their shelves, and Lily's textbook, which she was studying from, disappeared into Hestia's bag.

"Hest what are you doing?" Lily squeaked, looking up at Hestia.

"I need to talk to you about something!" Hestia said, exasperated, and Lily sighed.

"I need to study!"

"A few minutes wont kill you!"

"Fine," Lily grumbled, giving up, and standing up, "let's go somewhere else I'm tired of the library," she groaned, and Hestia giggled.

"Lily Evans, tired of the library? It's a Christmas miracle," Hestia snorted, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"It's not Christmas," Lily pointed out.

"Yes, but apparently you're Christmas on a stick so it will always apply to you," Hestia said cheekily, and Lily chuckled.

"What do you need to talk about?" Lily asked, as the girls walked out to the courtyard, where they could see Sirius and James sitting under the Marauder tree.

"Nowhere near them!" Hestia squeaked, pulling Lily in the direction of Hagrids hut. They sat down on the stairs to Hagrids hut, and Lily turned to look at Hestia, eyebrows raised.

"What is so important that you can't discuss in front of our boyfriends?" she asked, and Hestia blushed.

"Well it involves mine so I can't talk about it with him there," she said quietly, and Lily nodded, understanding.

"What is it?" she asked, and Hestia took a breath.

* * *

"I had sex!" Sirius blurted out, and James choked.

"What? Really? When?" James said, a smile playing on his face.

"Yes, really, and last night, well, this morning technically," Sirius said, turning red, and James chuckled.

"Well done mate," he said, clapping Sirius on the back, and Sirius chuckled

"Shut up Prongs"

"Well you would've teased me about it!" James said, and Sirius barked a laugh, "So, you had sex. With Hestia I'm going to assume?" James asked, and Sirius rolled his eyes, "So why are you so red?" James teased, nudging Sirius, who guffawed and put his arm around James shoulders in a brotherly manner.

"Because! I did it!" Sirius said nervously.

"And?" James asked, extending the vowels to the extreme.

"I liked it," Sirius said cheekily, and James rolled his eyes, before laughing.

"That's great Pads," James chortled, patting his friend on the back, "Now what's making you awkward?" James asked, and Sirius sighed.

"I hate that you know me so well," Sirius said, punching James in the shoulder, and James guffawed, "Well, I don't want her to think it's, well, necessary, for her to do it just because we did it once you know?" Sirius blurted out, and James' eyebrows rose.

"I never thought I would hear this from you Pads," James said, his hand flying up to his hair, "But I'm glad you are saying it," he mumbled, looking down at the grass. James and Sirius both hated talking about feelings and relationships.

"Thanks mate," Sirius sighed, and James chuckled, "So what do I do?"

"Talk to her?" James said uncertainly, and Sirius turned to look at him, "Well how am I supposed to know? I haven't done it!" James said in a high voice, and Sirius laughed.

"Touché, but you really think just talking to her will help?" he asked, and James shrugged.

"It seems like the logical thing to do," he said, and Sirius nodded seriously, "And she wont know unless you tell her," James shrugged, and Sirius snorted.

"Obviously. Ah, okay, I'll talk to her. Thanks mate," Sirius said, clapping James on the back and standing up. James stood up and grinned at Sirius, "Why are you so happy?" Sirius whined, and James chuckled.

"A stupid dog once told me that his best mates sex life was the bane of his existence," James chuckled, nudging Sirius, who barked a laugh.

"Ah, I see my feelings have been reciprocated," Sirius said sarcastically, and James laughed.

"Wow Pads, big word, I'm proud of you," James teased, and Sirius put his arm around James neck, pulling him down so he could scuffle his hair, "No! Pads! Hair!" James squeaked, pulling out of Sirius' grip and anxiously fingering his locks. Sirius guffawed.

"Thanks mate," Sirius said seriously, looking down at the floor, and James smiled at his friend

"Anytime"

* * *

"I can't believe it," Lily said, grinning from ear to ear as Hestia blushed furiously, "You and Sirius Black," Lily squealed, and Hestia hid her face in her hands, "Why are you so bothered though?" Lily asked, nudging Hestia playfully, and Hestia giggled.

"I'm not bothered! No, I'm just in shock," Hestia grinned, and Lily laughed, "What? You would be too!" she said, and Lily nodded in agreement, "I'm just a bit worried though," Hestia said, and Lily frowned at her.

"Why?"

"Well, this is Sirius. I don't know if I'm ready to, you know, do it again," Hestia mumbled, looking twirling a lock of her hair anxiously between her fingers, "Don't get me wrong. I liked it. I really did, and I love him. But I don't want to become a couple that's doing, well, _that _all the time, you know?" she asked, and Lily nodded.

"I get it, maybe you should tell him?" Lily suggested, and Hestia nodded.

"That's what I thought, but it just seems weird," she admitted, and Lily grinned, "And for the love of Merlin will you stop grinning," Hestia squealed, nudging Lily, who laughed and put her arm around her friend.

"I'm happy for you," Lily smiled, and Hestia rolled her eyes, "Oh, look who it is," Lily nudged Hestia, as they saw Sirius and James walk into the castle together. Hestia turned red and Lily grinned, "Let's go," she said, pushing Hestia, who squeaked.

"I cant talk to him now!" she squealed, and Lily turned to look at her.

"And why not?"

"Because I can't look at him without turning bright red," Hestia said, stomping her foot, and Lily laughed.

"Fine," Lily shrugged, as the girls made their way to the castle.

"Details?" Hestia squealed, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope," Hestia said, popping the 'p'

"Fine, just not _those _details," Lily said, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"That would be disgusting Lily. No, I'm going to give you normal details," Hestia said, and Lily giggled as Hestia begun

* * *

"Oof!" Lily exclaimed, as she bumped into something hard on her way back from the library. Realizing it was a person, she looked up to apologize, to realize it was only Sirius, "Oh, it's you," she grinned, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the apology," Sirius teased, draping his arm around her shoulder.

"You're welcome," Lily said cheekily, and Sirius rolled his eyes, "I heard you had quite an adventure last night," she winked, and Sirius turned a fiery shade of red.

"She told you?" Sirius said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Obviously," Lily chuckled, and Sirius guffawed, "what's wrong with you?" she asked, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Well, I don't want her to feel like she has to do it all the time you know?" he said quickly, and Lily grinned, "Why are you grinning?"

"Well, she wanted to talk to you about the same thing," Lily shrugged, and Sirius relaxed.

"Really?" he said happily, and Lily nodded up at him, "Okay, not that I didn't like it, I just don't think it's healthy for _us _if we get, erm, obsessed," he said, and Lily laughed, "Oh shut up I didn't know the word," he said awkwardly, and Lily squeezed him in a one armed hug.

"That's okay. Go talk to her," she said, nudging him, and Sirius ran his hand through his hair, and it somehow managed to fall back perfectly.

"Fine," he said, letting go of her, "See you later flower," he said, hugging her in a brotherly manner, before walking up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. Lily chuckled to herself and walked back to the Heads dorm. She pushed the door open to see James and Remus talking on the sofa.

"Lily! You're alive!" Remus said happily, and James' head snapped to look at her. He grinned at her and Lily felt her stomach flip as James got up to hug her.

"I missed you!" he whispered into her hair and Lily smiled into his chest.

"What was the serious discussion about?" she asked as she sat down on the floor, leaning on James knees.

"Remus wants to find a girlfriend," James said, and Remus turned pink.

"I figured you'd be discussing Sirius and Hestia," Lily chuckled, and the boys guffawed.

"We already did that," Remus said, matter-of-factly and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Did you study at all today?" she chastised, and they grinned at her.

"Yes! We did that whilst discussing," James said, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"So why the sudden interest in finding a girlfriend?" she asked Remus, who played with the sofa cushion nervously.

"Well, its just, you all have significant others, and, well, sometimes I get left out," he said quietly, and Lily's eyes softened.

"I'm sorry, I stole one of your friends," she said quietly, and Remus grinned down at her.

"I'm glad you did!" he said, and Lily rolled her eyes, "It's not the loneliness. I just, want someone, you know?" he asked, and Lily nodded.

"Do you want some help?" she asked, and Remus, as well as James, widened their eyes.

"You would help?" Remus asked, and Lily beamed.

"I always loved matchmaking, I tried it out on Gwenog a few times," she said happily, and the boys laughed.

"Fine," Remus said, and Lily squealed happily, "we begin tomorrow. I'm going to go now," he said, looking pointedly at James, before getting up and walking out of the dorm.

"Matchmaking Lils?" James chortled, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"I missed you too by the way," she said, and James grinned down at her.

**

* * *

Hey guys! Hope you liked the chapter! Review please (: I am sincerely trying to have another chapter up before I leave tomorrow. It might be a short one, but I'm trying to make it longer. If I don't get it up in time, Happy New Year! Love you all!**

**Enjoy!**


	22. Anna Daniels

**Hey guys! I don't know when this is going up to be completely honest. If this is up when I intended it to be then happy early New Year! And if it is up later than I hoped, Happy 2011! Hope you love the story. Read and Review! Happy fanficcing!**

**Disclaimer: Believe it or not, I still don't own Harry Potter**

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_Sirius and Hestia do the dirty_

_Lily decides to help Remus find a girlfriend_

"Lily this is ridiculous!"

"Shut up"

"Lily I don't want to wear that!"

"Once again, shut up"

"Shouldn't you be studying?"

"There are more important things"

"I never thought I'd see the day," James chuckled from where he was sitting in the corner of Lily's room. Lily had instructed Remus to come over that morning before breakfast, and she was dressing him.

"Help!" Remus whined over his shoulder to James, as Lily transfigured his clothing to her hearts content. She had been about to transfigure his appearance but Remus had drawn the line, saying he didn't want to look fake.

"Don't want to risk my life," James chuckled, and Remus narrowed his eyes at him.

"Done!" Lily said happily, and Remus looked down to see himself wearing a black button down shirt, rolled up to the elbows, and jeans, which were a bit, no a lot, tighter than his usual.

"Lily, it's great, but what's with the tight pants?" James asked, and Remus heard him trying to restrain a laugh.

"Oh wow," Hestia squealed as she walked into Lily's room. She took one look at Remus and looked over at Lily and winked, "well done," she said, and Remus turned red as James and Sirius, who had followed Hestia in, blinked in confusion.

"Thank you," Lily said, narrowing her eyes at Remus, who grinned at her.

"Can you please explain the pants?" Sirius snorted, walking over to sit next to James while the girls worked on Remus. Hestia and Sirius had followed Remus early that morning and had learned of the whole situation.

"Remus has a very attractive rear end and the pants accentuate it," Hestia stated, and the three boys choked, "What?" she asked, turning to Lily, who was laughing at Remus' expression.

"Hest, I don't think boys know about your obsession with rear ends," Lily chuckled, and the boys turned to look at Lily, who grinned at them cheekily.

"Oh well it's time you learnt," Hestia shrugged, and smiled at Remus, who was turning redder by the minute under the girls close inspection of him.

"What do you think of mine?" Sirius asked, winking at Hestia, who rolled her eyes.

"I've always thought Remus had the best," she shrugged, and Remus turned around to grin at his friends bewildered expressions. They turned to look at Lily, who shrugged in agreement.

"Okay enough about my rear end," Remus said, embarrassed, "what's the plan?"

"Oh it's simple," said Lily, "You just walk into the Great Hall looking like that," she said, and Hestia grinned.

"That's it?"

"Guaranteed a girl is going to talk to you," Hestia said, and the boys raised their eyebrows.

"Can you do us?" Sirius said, standing up, gesturing to himself and James, and the girls rolled their eyes.

"No sorry, you're both taken," Lily said, and winked at a grinning James.

"It's time for breakfast!" Hestia squealed, walking behind Remus and pushing him forwards a little.

"No wait!" Lily said. She reached up and scuffed Remus' hair and then grinned at Hestia, "Okay go." Lily and Hestia each stood on one side of Remus and led him from the dorm, followed by their boyfriends.

"Are you sure about this?" Remus asked nervously, his throat dry. He was never comfortable in himself, and had never considered himself attractive. What if everyone in the Great Hall laughed?

"Remus, no one is going to laugh at you. Do you trust us?" Hestia asked, and Remus looked at the two girls before nodding, "Good, then calm down and act normal," she said, and Remus nodded again. They got to the Entrance Hall and Remus felt as if he was swallowing his tongue.

"Breathe," Lily said gently, and smiled up at Remus, "Now, you are going to walk in with James and Sirius, and Hestia and I are going to come later," she said, and turned to look at James, who jumped and stood next to Remus, "Good boy," she teased, and James laughed. Sirius stood on the other side of Remus and winked at Hestia, who turned pink but grinned at him.

"Okay, go," said Hestia, shoving Sirius and Remus in the back. James kissed Lily on the forehead before walking with Sirius and Remus, "I have to say though, he does have the best rear end," Hestia said, cocking her head to the side, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"We've been over this, let's watch!" she said excitedly, and the girls peered into the Great Hall, and, much to their satisfaction, girls heads were turning as Remus walked past, laughing with his friends.

"It worked!" Hestia laughed, throwing her arm around Lily's shoulder, and Lily grinned, "Shall we?" Hestia said, gesturing to the Great Hall, and Lily nodded. The girls walked in and felt the eyes of the female population of Hogwarts watch them as they sat down with the Marauders, "Success," Hestia squealed as she sat down, and Remus looked at her incredulously. He was about to ask a question when Alice sat down across from him.

"Hi Rem-oh!" Alice cut off as she looked at Remus and her eyebrows rose, causing Hestia and Lily to laugh.

"What?" Remus asked self-consciously, and Alice blushed.

"I agree with your hypothesis," Alice said, turning to Lily and Hestia, and the girls laughed.

"What hypothesis?" Sirius asked curiously, and Lily shook her head at Alice.

"The good looking Marauder stuff," Alice shrugged, and Remus blushed.

"I still think you're the best looking," Lily said to James, who grinned happily and ate his breakfast with a smile on his face.

"Hest!"

"Sorry Sirius that would be lying," Hestia teased, winking at Sirius, who barked a laugh.

"So what's supposed to happen now?" Remus asked, looking around nervously as girls from all the houses whispered and their glances kept flickering to him.

"We wait," Hestia shrugged, and got to her breakfast. When they were halfway through their breakfast, they were approached by a seventh year Ravenclaw, Anna Daniels.

"Hi Lily," Anna said, smiling at Lily, and Lily grinned up at her as Hestia giggled uncontrollably next to her.

"Hi Anna," Lily said, Anna's glance flickered to Remus and Lily grinned, "Anna, this is Remus, Remus, this is Anna, she's a seventh year Ravenclaw," Lily said, and Remus turned to smile at Anna. She was about 5"9 with blonde hair that she had tied back in a ponytail.

"Hi," Remus said in a friendly voice, and Anna turned slightly pink but grinned at him.

"Hi," she said, and Sirius snorted. James elbowed Sirius and he covered it up with a cough before Anna could notice, "Lily, can I talk to you?" Anna said, turning back to Lily, who nodded. Lily grabbed Hestia's hand as she stood up and Hestia stood up with her.

"Hope you don't mind," Hestia said politely to Anna, who shrugged.

"See you later," Lily said, grinning at James, who was nudging Remus.

"Lily," Anna said, as they got to the Entrance hall.

"Do you want to talk about Remus?" Hestia asked, and Lily smacked her in the arm.

"Hestia!"

"What? I was just asking!"

"Hestia that's rude," Lily said, and Hestia rolled her eyes, turning back to Anna, who was grinning.

"Do you?"

"Well, yes," Anna said nervously, and Lily and Hestia grinned.

"Well, he's single," said Hestia, wagging her eyebrows, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Hest, maybe you should go back inside you're embarrassing both of us," Lily said, gesturing to Anna and back to herself, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"It's okay! Well, do you think I should ask him?" Anna said nervously, and the girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! I'll send him here," Lily said, and Anna smiled shyly. Lily and Hestia turned back into the Great Hall, giggling.

"Remus, you are wanted in the Entrance Hall," Hestia declared, and Remus' eyebrows shot up. He stood up nervously and walked out of the Great Hall.

"Told you," Lily said, looking at James and Sirius, who were looking after Remus with bewildered expressions.

"Maybe we should buy tight pants," Sirius said, turning to James, who chortled.

"You don't need tight pants, they watch you anyway," Hestia said, taking a bite of toast, and the boys eyebrows rose, "You cant be that daft!" she exclaimed, and the boys looked around the hall, noticing the girls eyes flickering over to them.

"I like this," Sirius said happily, and James grinned as all three girls rolled their eyes, "I still love you the most Hest," he winked, and Hestia giggled.

* * *

"Hello?" Remus said nervously, walking into the Entrance Hall.

"Hi," he turned to see Anna standing near the large closet and gulped, before pasting a smile on his face; she was very pretty. Remus walked over to her and realized he had no idea what he wanted to say. How ridiculous. Thankfully, she continued, "So, I was wondering if you wanted to, well, maybe," Anna said, running a hand through her hair.

"You want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" Remus asked, and Anna's eyes widened.

"I was getting there," she chuckled, and Remus grinned. At least she had a sense of humour.

"Well I got there first"

"Yes well, I broke the ice," she shrugged, and Remus laughed.

"When is the Hogsmeade weekend?" he asked, and Anna rolled her eyes.

"If you're going to ask, shouldn't you know the details?" she teased, and his hand flew to his hair.

"As you said, you started it," he chuckled, and Anna giggled.

"It's right after the Quidditch Cup," she said, and Remus nodded, "So next weekend," she said, and Remus grinned.

"Maybe I should've let you ask," he said, and Anna laughed.

"I have to go study," she said, "I hate transfiguration. I'll see you later?" she said uncertainly, and Remus smiled and nodded.

"Bye," he said, and Anna smiled at him before skipping up the stairs. Remus walked into the Great Hall with a smile on his face and sat down in between Lily and Hestia.

"What did you do?" Sirius asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Nothing, why?" Remus said, his cheeks filling with colour.

"Well you look very bashful," Sirius shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to go study," she announced, standing up.

"No!" James whined, and Lily grinned at him.

"I'll finish early, I swear," she said, and James shook his head. Lily sighed and took James' hand, dragging him from the Great Hall. She dragged him to the Entrance Hall and turned to face him.

"No I'm not speaking to you," James said, looking away from Lily, and she laughed.

"Well I was going to offer you another prize if you let me go study but fine," she shrugged, and started to walk away, but James grabbed her around the waist.

"Another prize?" he said, and Lily rolled her eyes

"But you're not talking to me so I don't think I should," she said, pulling away from him, but he pulled her back.

"I don't think so Lils," he said, pulling her closer, and Lily laughed.

"Okay James, you do that," she teased, before pulling away from him and sauntering to the library.

"I'll come get you," James said, and Lily blushed as she ran to the library. Lily entered the library to see Anna sitting alone at the table Lily usually occupied. Lily sat down at her usual seat and Anna smiled at her.

"Hi," Anna said, and Lily smiled at her.

"Hey Anna,"

"Studying?"

"Stupid NEWTS," Lily said, rolling her eyes, and Anna laughed.

"I couldn't agree more," said Anna, "I'm not going to talk to you because I need to study," Anna said, and Lily laughed.

"Thank you I need to study too," Lily chuckled, and got back to her books.

"Lils!" she jumped as James walked into the library. She looked down at her watch and saw that it was almost dinner-time. She had been here the whole day.

"Be quiet we're in a library," she whispered, and James rolled his eyes.

"Hi Anna," he said politely, and Anna smiled at James

"Hi James,"

"Lily let's go," he said, holding his hand out to her and Lily shook her head.

"I'm studying! Transfiguration is _tomorrow!" _she squealed, and James sighed. He waved his wand and the books flew back to their shelves. He bent down and picked Lily up, winging her over his shoulder, "James Potter! Put me down!" she squealed.

"Shh, this is a library," he said, and with a wink to a laughing Anna, he walked out of the library.

"You are incorrigible," Lily whined, hitting James' back. James chuckled and placed her down on her feet when they got back to the heads dorm.

"If I remember correctly, you promised me a prize," he said, dropping Lily's bag on the floor.

"I take it back," she mumbled, and James rolled his eyes.

"Not allowed," he said, pulling her towards him.

"James I'm distracted!"

"I'll help," he said, kissing her nose and Lily sighed.

"Fine," she said, and let James kiss her.

"James!"

"Potter!"

"Prongs!"

"I feel your pain," James grumbled, sitting down next to Lily the next morning at breakfast before the Transfiguration NEWT.

"This is what you get for being a know-it-all," Lily chuckled, repeating what James had said to her on the morning of the Potions NEWT.

"Oh shut up Lils," James said, nudging her, and Lily giggled.

"I need Moony!" Sirius whined. Remus had been sitting at the Ravenclaw Table with Anna last night, and was sitting there again, "Lily-flower!" Sirius said, turning to her, and Lily sighed.

"Yes Sirius?"

"Let's go!" he said, holding his hand out to her. Lily looked at James questioningly, and James shrugged, "It's time," Sirius said, and the Gryffindors jumped.

"What already?" Hestia squealed, and Sirius nodded morbidly. Sirius held his hand out to Lily, and Lily took it, and let Sirius drag her out.

"Easy-peasy," Sirius said, sitting down underneath the beech tree.

"It wasn't that hard actually," Lily agreed, sitting down at the bank in front of the tree, and stripping her shoes off.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked Lily curiously.

"I'm dipping my feet in," she shrugged, and put her feet in the water.

"Not a bad idea," Sirius said, doing the same.

"Hi!" Anna said cheerfully, sitting down next to Lily.

"Hi," Lily said politely. Remus smiled at Anna.

"Anna!" they turned to see Anna's friend calling her.

"I'll see you later I guess," Anna said, walking over to her friend.

"What's wrong Moony?" Sirius asked Remus, who sighed.

"I don't like her!" Remus whined, and Sirius looked at Lily, who looked as shocked.

"But you've been eating with them," James said, sitting down on the other side of Lily, kissing her on the cheek.

"Yes, I know, and she's nice. But they're so, different," he said, "They're not funny!" he whined, and Lily giggled, "I'm not even kidding! So I was sitting there and they were discussing schoolwork! Schoolwork! And they were talking about how they couldn't possibly break the rules! And then they did the worst thing," he muttered, and Lily looked at him curiously.

"Should I go?" she suggested, and Remus looked at her incredulously.

"No!" he said, and Lily nodded, "Why?"

"Well, it felt like a Marauder moment," she shrugged, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Lils I tell you more than I tell Wormtail. It's pretty much you three I'll talk to," he shrugged, and Lily raised her eyebrows, "So, basically, they started discussing werewolves," he said, and James' jaw clenched.

"What did they say?"

"They talked about how werewolves are disgusting and don't deserve a place in society," he said sadly, and Lily felt acid boil in her stomach.

"That's bollocks!" she said, and Sirius nodded in agreement

"Look mate, it doesn't matter what they think," Sirius said, and Remus sighed at the floor.

"She agreed with them. I need to break up with her," he said quietly, and Lily nodded, "But I don't know how!" he said, and Lily sighed.

"Maybe Lily-flower could help you?" Sirius suggested, and Remus' head snapped up to look at Lily, who shrugged.

"I don't mind," she said, and Remus grinned at her.

"Lily you're the best," he said, and Lily grinned at him.

"Lily it's time to go!" Hestia yelled from over by the castle. They jumped up and walked to the castle.

"Hello dear," Examiner Anolly said as Lily approached her for the second time.

"Hello again," Lily smiled, and the examiner grinned.

"Alright, so, transfiguration. You ready?" Anolly asked, and Lily nodded, "Okay, for starters, turn your eyebrows yellow please." Lily chuckled as she remembered James' study method and how yellow clashed with her hair, and begun her examination.

When she was done, Lily left the Great Hall, and felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Anna smiling at her, "Hey Lily," she said, and Lily felt her stomach drop as she realized she was going to have to break up with Anna for Remus.

"How did it go?" Lily asked, and Anna shrugged.

"Pretty easy, although I think I accidently turned my eyebrows orange. I couldn't tell," Anna chuckled, and Lily smiled.

"Anna, about Remus," Lily said, and Anna turned to look down at her.

"It's not working is it?" she asked, and Lily's eyebrows rose, "He seemed different after breakfast," she said, and Lily nodded, "That's too bad," she said, and cleared her throat, "See you later," Anna said, and walked away.

"Well that looked significantly awkward," Sirius said as Lily sat down next to him.

"It wasn't so bad actually," Lily chuckled, and Sirius laughed.

"How did it go?" Sirius asked, putting his arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Not bad, Charms tomorrow," said Lily happily.

"How much studying do you have to do?"

"None actually, I did it all this weekend," Lily said, and Sirius chuckled, "Are you alright Sirius?"

"No, I'm upset, I cant believe I have to leave here in a few weeks," he sighed, and Lily nodded, leaning on Sirius.

"I don't want to leave either,"

"We're all going to stay friends right?" he asked, and Lily looked up to see Sirius looked more vulnerable than Lily had ever seen him.

"Yes Sirius, we are going ot stay friends,"

"You promise?" he asked, leaning his head on Lily's head, and Lily chuckled.

"Yes. I promise."

**

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Sorry it's a really short chapter but I got it up! Happy New Year you guys!**


	23. Middle Name

**Hello everyone! So my cousin got wireless (happy dance) so I can update. Hope you like the story. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions in the reviews (yes I do read them…lots of times actually haha). Hope you guys are having a wonderful winter or summer depending on where you are.**

**GraciGrl66- Cheri I'm sorry about your skin cancer, I'm praying for you.**

**illjwamh- Thanks for the advice. I actually realized the rolling eyes thing and I tried to ease it up in this chapter. And you made me laugh with the drinking game comment haha thanks.**

**Everyone else- Thank you SO very much for your reviews. I think I'm going to start replying to them on here because I don't like the idea of not being able to communicate with you guys (: and thank you for reviewing, its seriously one of the only reasons I update.**

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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter but I really wish I did.**

_**

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Previously:**_

_Remus' brief girlfriend, Anna Daniels, and her fellow Ravenclaws express their disdain for werewolves, so the relationship ends. _

_Sirius is worried about leaving Hogwarts_

* * *

"Lily-flower!"

"Sirius!" Lily screamed as she fell down next to him by the Black Lake.

"We're done!" Sirius yelled happily, hugging Lily and jumping up and down.

"I know! I can't believe it! How did it go?" she asked, grinning as they sat down at the base of the tree.

"Who cares, not like I can change anything," Sirius shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes, receiving a cheeky grin from Sirius, "It went well thank you for asking," he chuckled, and Lily laughed, "You?"

"I think I messed up some translation," she started, frowning, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I only asked out of formality, I don't actually want to know," he said cheekily, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well fine, maybe I'll just go over there," she said, making to stand up, but Sirius grabbed her cloak and pulled her down. Lily fell down with a squeak.

"You're much too easy to deal with," he laughed, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him, "Now all we have left is The Quidditch Cup," he said excitedly, and Lily smiled.

"When is it?"

"Saturday!" he squeaked, "It's Thursday! We have to win! Prongs said he was going to schedule an all day practice tomorrow," Sirius said. Lily zoned out as Sirius continued to discuss Quidditch, strategies, and the cup, and let her mind wonder.

They were going to be leaving Hogwarts in a week. This was going to be her last weekend at Hogwarts. They were graduating on Wednesday and the Hogwarts Express left on Friday morning. Then they would be done. She couldn't help but wonder about what Sirius had brought up after the transfiguration practical. What was going to become of all of them? Hestia and Lily were planning on getting a flat, as Alice would marry and move in with Frank, and Gwenog was gone with the Harpies. The Marauders were planning on getting a flat together, but it wouldn't be the same. She and James had been practically living together, and then they would be together for most of the summer, and then they would start work and living apart. Would their relationship survive? Lily couldn't imagine ever being with anyone other than James. Would she and the rest of the Marauders be able to survive the gap as well? And Alice? Would they grow apart as she had with Gwenog? She had no doubt her friendship with Hestia would be fine as they would be living together. But what about James? That was the part she was most concerned about. Would they be able to make it through the distance? Wouldn't it be different? Would that be good or bad for them?

"Lily-flower?"

"Sorry Sirius," she said, shaking her head and snapping back to look at him, "Did you ask me something?"

"Yes," Sirius said exasperatedly, rolling his eyes and grinning.

"Oh, well?" Lily asked sheepishly, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"What were you thinking so intently about?"

"Stuff," Lily said, and Sirius turned to look at her, so she sighed and continued, "Well mostly about after Hogwarts."

"What about it?"

"Mostly, well, James," she said quietly, and Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"What about him?"

"Well, I mean, it's going to be different," she said lamely, and Sirius chuckled. He had never seen Lily so awkward; it was really amusing

"Good girl Lily-flower," he chuckled, and Lily smacked him in the arm, "It is going to be different, but I can swear on my life that nothings going to happen to you two, relationship wise. He's been in love with you for six years, and I don't think anything's going to change that," Sirius shrugged, and Lily smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you Sirius," she said, and he waved it off.

"Can I ask you the same question about Hestia?"

"I didn't actually ask," Lily pointed out, and Sirius snorted, "But I don't think anything's going to change between you two. I've been with Hestia through lots of guys," she said, ignoring the way Sirius' eyes narrowed, "Oh shut up you've been through a lot of girls," she said, and Sirius chortled.

"Totally different"

"How is it different?"

"Well, she's a girl, I'm a boy. It's completely different," he shrugged.

"All you did was state the obvious. That's not an answer," she rolled her eyes, and Sirius barked a laugh, "But I don't think that the distance will have an effect on you," she said, and Sirius nodded seriously.

"Good talk Evans," he said, clearing his throat, and Lily laughed, "Oh look, speak of the devil," he said, gesturing towards the castle. Lily turned around to see James walking out of the castle with Hestia, Alice, Remus and Peter.

"Which one?" she muttered, and Sirius laughed. James looked up and grinned at Lily, who felt her heart flutter. She jumped up and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck, "We're done!" she said happily, and James chuckled, squeezing her around the waist.

"Very good Lils," he said cheekily, leaning back to look Lily in the eye. Lily stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned, "How did it go?"

"Apparently she mistranslated something," Sirius said, rolling his eyes and held his hand out to Hestia, whom he pulled onto the floor next to him.

"Oh no, it's the apocalypse," Hestia said, winking at Lily playfully and Lily stuck her tongue out at her best friend.

"I'm sure you did fine," Alice said soothingly, looking around.

"Frank is still inside," Remus said, and Alice grinned at him sheepishly, "And Lily, I'm sure you did fine, you usually do," he said, rolling his eyes, and Lily smiled at him.

"Remus you're my favorite," Lily said, and Remus chuckled as James choked.

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused," Lily grinned and James rolled his eyes, his mouth twitching.

"So, what are we going to do for the next week?" Sirius asked, looking around at all his friends.

"Well I'm guessing nothing's going to be happening tomorrow," Lily said, and James frowned down at her, "Some Quidditch Captain. You have the cup on Saturday," she scoffed, and James' face paled, "Don't worry, you've already scheduled an all day practice tomorrow," she said soothingly, and James nodded, taking in a deep breath.

"I don't understand you and your stupid Quidditch obsessions," Alice muttered, lying down and resting her head in Franks' lap. Lily looked up to see James and Sirius' dumbstruck expressions and giggled, as did Hestia. Remus smirked and looked over at Alice and shook his head, as if to say 'good luck'.

"Let it go," Hestia said gently, kissing Sirius on the cheek, and Sirius glared at Alice, before turning down to grin at Hestia.

"C'mon," James said, standing up and holding his hand out to Lily. Lily frowned up at him, and James grinned down at her. She sighed and took his hand, and he pulled her up so fast she stumbled and crashed into him. Sirius, Remus and Peter snickered and Lily blushed, taking a step back from the grinning James.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a secret," he winked, and Lily sighed as James put his arm around her shoulder and led her back to the castle.

"Bye!" their friends yelled, and Lily giggled, waving at them. She became very aware of James looking at her, and turned to look up at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said sweetly, smiling down at her. Lily shook her head and turned forward, trying to ignore his continuous watching. They walked up to the Heads Dorm and James held the door open for her.

"Thank you sir," she said, hopping through the door and James snickered.

"Sir?"

"Well, you were being a gentleman. It seemed appropriate," she shrugged, and James laughed, before shutting the door behind him and putting his hands on either side of her face.

"I'll show you gentleman," he said in a low voice, and Lily felt her insides crawl, in a good way.

"It's fine I'm actually waiting for my boyfriend, have you seen him?" Lily asked, looking around, and James growled playfully. He put his fingers through her belt loops and pulled her to him, "There he is," she whispered cheekily, and leaned up to kiss James, who grinned against her lips.

* * *

"Hestia Jones I am bored," Sirius declared. Everyone else had retreated inside the castle, but the couple had stayed under the tree.

"Sirius Black, what the bloody hell am I supposed to do about it?" she asked, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Well as you are my girlfriend, you have the supreme right to entertain me,"

"Just because I have the right doesn't mean I'm going to utilize it," Hestia said, amused by the formality of their statements.

"Did I say right? I meant obligation," he grinned cheekily, leaning towards her.

"How did I end up with you?" she groaned, smirking at Sirius. Sirius grinned and kissed Hestia on the cheek. He kissed her again on her jaw, and then trailed feather light kisses down her neck, "Is this bribery?" she asked in a shaky voice, and Sirius chuckled into her neck.

"Maybe," he said quietly, extending the word, "Is it working?"

"Maybe," Hestia said, mimicking Sirius, whose shoulders shook as he laughed.

"That was my plan," he said, and then sat up extremely quickly, "Do you have a middle name?"

"Why?" Hestia asked, bewildered, and slightly, no very, disappointed that Sirius had moved away from what he had been doing.

"Because I keep addressing you as Hestia Jones, and it would be so much funner to have a middle name in there," he shrugged.

"Funner?" she giggled, and Sirius grinned down at her cheekily, "Well, because of the reason you gave me, I am not going to tell you," she shrugged, and Sirius narrowed his eyes down at her.

"I will find out,"

"I'm sure you will," she said sarcastically, and Sirius crossed his arms.

"Bring it Jones"

"Oh I'm afraid," she said in a faux frightened voice, and Sirius had to fight a grin, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"You should be," Sirius said, standing up.

"You wish Black," she sighed, and stood up as well.

"Don't you want to know mine?"

"You don't have a middle name Sirius," she pointed out, and Sirius stomped his foot.

"Not fair! How did you know?"

"Because I know things," she grinned cheekily, and wrapped her arms around Sirius' torso.

"What kind of things?" he asked in a low voice, putting his hands in her hair.

"Sirius!" she squealed, taking a step back from him, and Sirius grinned at her.

"All is fair in love and war," he recited and Hestia scoffed.

"And how does that relate?"

"Well, I love you, and this is war because I want to know your middle name," he said, and Hestia giggled.

"Not going to happen," she said, pinching his chin, and walking up towards the castle.

"I will find out Jones! Mark my words!" he yelled after her.

"Stupid melodramatic boyfriend," she muttered, grinning to herself.

* * *

"EVANS!" Sirius yelled, barging into the Heads dorm to find the Head students, erm, displaying their affection, "OH MERLIN!" he yelled, covering up his eyes as he saw what they were doing.

"Padfoot what are you doing here?" James asked in a weak voice as Lily jumped off from where she was straddling him, fixing her hair. Thankfully, James had left her shirt on this time, but she couldn't say the same for him.

"I needed to speak to Lily," Sirius asked in the general direction of his best friend, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to erase the images that had been burnt into his mind, "My poor amygdala," he whined, rubbing at his head.

"That's a rather big word for you Sirius, have you learnt to read?" Lily teased, and Sirius stuck his tongue out in her general direction, his eyes still sealed shut.

"May I ask why you were doing that?" Sirius squeaked.

"Well why wouldn't we?" James asked, and Sirius groaned.

"Stop! My brain is hurting!" he whined, and James chuckled as he pulled his shirt on.

"We've discussed this Pads, you're not supposed to think," James sighed, and Sirius snorted.

"Why are your eyes closed?" Lily asked, grinning down at James who winked at her suggestively.

"Because I'm trying to clean my brain!" he whined.

"Well, if I may defend myself, you and Hest do some pretty nasty things at breakfast. Breakfast for Merlins sakes," Lily shuddered, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Can I open my eyes?" Sirius asked, peeking through his eyelids.

"Yes"

"Is Prongs wearing a shirt?"

"Yes"

"I bet he wants me to take it off," James said, grinning at Sirius, who snorted and otherwise ignored him.

"Are you two not snogging?"

"Erm, yes?" James said uncertainly, unsure of how to answer that question.

"Okay good!" Sirius sighed, opening his eyes to see his red faced, embarrassed friends, "Some warning would be nice next time," he chastised.

"It's our dorm!" James said, exasperated.

"Yes but next time put a little sign on the door or something!"

"Yes, we're going to put a sign saying 'don't come in we're snogging thanks' on our door," James snorted, and Lily giggled as Sirius laughed, "What do you want Pads?" James asked, slightly irritated that Sirius had interrupted what he and Lily had been doing.

"I needed to talk to Lily," Sirius shrugged.

"Since when is it Lily?" Lily asked, amused.

"Well, I would call you Lily-flower, but flower suggests innocence and after what I have just witnessed I cannot address you as flower until you have regained innocent stature in my mind"

"That much drama for a nickname?"

"It matters okay?" Sirius said defensively, and Lily chuckled as James snickered and fell onto the armchair.

"What did you want to talk to Lils about?" he asked Sirius, who was still red from what he had witnessed. At least he had the decency to look abashed.

"What's Hestia's middle name?"

"That is what you wanted to ask?" Lily asked disbelievingly, sitting down on the floor, "Why don't you just ask her?"

"She wont tell me!" he whined, stomping his foot and James sniggered.

"Well, if she wont tell you then, as a best friend, I cant tell you either," Lily shrugged, and Sirius whined.

"Lily-flower!"

"Back to innocence?"

"Well I'm not thinking about the two of you snogging at the moment!"

"I hope you never are," James shuddered, and Lily snickered as Sirius turned pink.

"Back to the topic at hand!" he said, crossing his arms, "What is it?"

"Sirius I'm not going to tell you!"

"I hate you!" he yelled at her, and Lily grinned.

"I love you too Sirius,"

"You do?" he said happily, and knelt down in front of her, "My fair maiden is it so?" Lily giggled and stood up.

"Yes, sure, okay," she said, patting Sirius on the head, and Sirius grinned.

"See Prongs, you're not the only one," he said, sticking his tongue out at a grinning James.

"I'm happy for you Pads," he said, and Sirius laughed.

"I must go find out from a _better _source," he said, glaring at Lily, who chuckled, "Good. Bye," he said dramatically, turning on his heel and walking out of the dorm, "I'll put your sign up for you," he said, pirouetting and winking at Lily, before walking out the door.

"He's not actually going to put a sign up is he?" Lily asked James as soon as the door closed behind Sirius. James chuckled and shrugged, and Lily walked to the door. She opened the door and looked down to see a small sign.

_The Head Boy and Head Girl are having a heated snog session. I suggest you do not enter. Sincerely, Padfoot._

Lily laughed and took the sign off, and walked into the dorm. James walked over to her and looked down at the sign, and grinned.

"My best mate," he said, shaking his head fondly, and Lily smiled. Only Sirius and James could be that brotherly.

"He's a real charmer," Lily chuckled, and James grinned, putting the sign down and turning to Lily, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"So what is Hestia's middle name?"

* * *

"Moony my pal, I need you," Sirius said, sitting down next to Remus, who looked bewildered.

"I don't like you that way, wrong team," Remus snickered, and Sirius snorted.

"I'm sure you wouldn't date me Moons," Sirius said sarcastically, and Remus chuckled, "And besides, I'm so attractive anyone would change preferences for me," he shrugged, and Remus sighed.

"What do you want Sirius?" he sighed, giving up.

"Are you upset Moony? Did I hurt your feelings? I'm sorry mate; even if I did bat for the other team you already know Prongsie would be my man. I'll snog you if you want," Sirius said, and Remus shuddered.

"You're weird," he said, "I thought you wanted help?" Remus sighed, trying hard not to laugh.

"Why thank you Moony, you're weird too. And I do want help!"

"Erm, thanks? What help?"

"You're very welcome mate. I need to know Hestia's middle name!" Sirius whined, and Remus's eyebrows rose.

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Why do people keep asking me that question? I'm not stupid you know!" Sirius said, swinging his hands around and hitting his hand against the wall, "Damn that hurt," he muttered, and Remus burst into laughter, "Oh shut up Moony," Sirius said, grinning.

"Okay, I won't comment on your stupidity. Well, why won't she tell you?"

"I don't know, it's a challenge I think," Sirius said, and Remus snorted.

"Then I can't help you"

"I hate you!" Sirius yelled, getting up and walking towards the door, but slipping on something and falling down. Remus' laughter echoed through the dorm, "Bloody Wormtail leaves his socks on the floor!" Sirius said, embarrassed, and stormed out of the dorm.

"What did I do?" Peter asked as he walked into the dorm after Sirius walked out.

"Nothing Pete," Remus chuckled, getting back to what he was doing.

"You alright Moony?"

"I'm fine," sighed Remus, and Peter shrugged, walking out of the dorm, "Great friend," Remus muttered sarcastically, and got back to his Occlumency Diary.

**

* * *

Remus' Occlumency Diary**

I'm upset. I tried a relationship and it failed. Is there something wrong with me? Are werewolves not supposed to be happy? She was great! She really was! But she saw werewolves through the eyes that the whole society sees us. Is that what my life is going to be like after Hogwarts? I'm worried about leaving to be honest. No one is going to take me for work. Trust me, I've already sent out applications. They all said yes, and then, they looked over my records and denied me after they found out. What am I supposed to do? I mean, at least here I am guaranteed everything.

I guess I'll end up in the muggle world. It can't be so bad can it? What if I don't find anyone? What if I die alone? No. I promise myself that I will find someone who I will end up with.

Yes. Life is going to be good. I am going to have a job, I'm going to have a family, and I'm going to have my best friends, the girls and the boys, around me for the rest of my life. This is a promise I make myself. Life will be good.

* * *

"HESTIA JONES, TELL ME YOUR MIDDLE NAME!" Sirius bellowed in the Great Hall that night at dinner, banging his head on the table. Hestia, along with Lily, James and Remus, laughed.

"Sirius I told you I wasn't going to tell you. Might as well give up," Hestia shrugged, and nudged Lily, who was laughing.

"Sirius Black never gives up," Remus said for Sirius, who was glaring at Hestia.

"I love you Moony," Sirius said, turning to Remus, who blushed.

"Why are you blushing?" Peter asked.

"I knew you wanted me!" Sirius said, pointing at Remus, who hid his face in his hands.

"Leave him alone," Lily chastised, throwing a carrot at Sirius.

"Thank you Lily," Remus said, grinning at Lily, who frowned, realizing there was something off in his smile. Lily cocked her head to the side, and Remus sighed, "I'm upset, that's all," he said, and James scoffed.

"That's all?" he said, turning to Remus, who sighed.

"Why are you upset?" Hestia asked, and Remus looked down into his lap.

"Is it the Anna thing? She wasn't worth it mate," James said, patting Remus lightly on the shoulder.

"It's sort of the Anna thing. More of the thing it represents."

"I don't understand!" Sirius declared, and they all snorted.

"Shocker," James said, turning to Sirius cheekily, and Sirius raised his eyebrows at James.

"Bring it on Potter"

"Oh grow up," Lily said, trying her best to restrain her grin, but failing.

"Thank you Lily," Remus chuckled, "It represents how the werewolf thing is going to haunt me forever," he whispered, and they all looked at their friend sympathetically, "I mean, I don't care about work to be honest. I'll work in the muggle world," he shrugged, but James saw the pain in his face, and felt bad. Remus, of all people, deserved the best, "I'm more upset about the relationship stuff, what if I never find anyone because of it?" he asked, looking at his friends, vulnerable.

"Remus, that's not going to happen," Lily said confidently, "You will find someone."

"Who?" he asked sadly, "Lily who would ever want to be with a werewolf?"

"Hi guys!" they turned around quickly to see Tonks standing there, "Hi Remus," she added quietly, smiling down at him, and Remus gave her a small smile, "I was wondering about practice tomorrow?" she phrased it like a question, and looked at James, who smiled.

"Right, well, we have practice starting at 9 and then we'll go the whole day," he said and Tonks nodded, "So don't plan anything," he grinned, and she laughed. Nobody noticed how Remus smiled slightly as he watched her laugh.

"Sir yes sir," she said, saluting, and Remus laughed, "See you tomorrow," she said to James and Sirius, "Bye Lily!" she waved, and Lily laughed.

"Bye Nymphadora"

"It's Tonks!" Tonks squealed, and Lily clapped a hand over her mouth, grinning.

"Sorry, bye Tonks," Lily chuckled, as Hestia, James and Sirius grinned at Tonks.

"Bye Remus," she said, waving at Remus, and walking away.

"I love her!" Hestia said happily, and Remus' mouth twitched.

"You know what I'd love?" Sirius said, turning to look at his girlfriend, "TO KNOW YOUR BLOODY MIDDLE NAME!" Hestia sighed and hid her face in Lily's shoulder, as James laughed.

"Mr. Black will you stop _yelling!_" McGonagall yelled, walking over to them.

"Why does she keep walking over this year?" Lily muttered, and Sirius winked at Lily.

"She wants me, subconsciously," he added, and Lily giggled.

"Mr. Black, explain yourself!"

"Well, Minerva love, I thought you would've known all about me by now!" he said, aghast, and McGonagall's lips pursed into a itght line.

"Why are you yelling?"

"Do you enjoy my sultry voice?" he asked, winking up at McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter, explain," she said, turning to James, who choked on his pumpkin juice.

"He's trying to figure out Hestia's middle name," Remus said, patting a coughing James on the back.

"Minerva, my love, do you know?" Sirius asked, and McGonagall turned to Lily, who shook her head frantically, "Lily-flower!"

"I cannot divulge that information," McGonagall said, turning on her heel, but Sirius stood up.

"Padfoot," James said, and Sirius winked, before jumping and landing in front of McGonagall. The seventh year Gryffindors watched, tears of laughter streaming down their faces.

"Minerva darling!" Sirius yelled, catching the attention of the whole hall. Up at the heads table, Dumbledore turned to watch the scene, his eyes twinkling. Sirius dropped on his knees, spreading his arms out wide, "Minerva! After all we've been through! I know you love me, and our love is forbidden. But don't worry my love; I am graduating in a mere week! We can be together then," he declared. The whole hall was snickering and giggling by this point. Sirius stood up so he was face to face with McGonagall. Sirius was a few inches taller than McGonagall, who was about Hestia's height. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, looking McGonagall in the eye. McGonagall turned a bright shade of red and pulled her hand out of Sirius', walking around him, "MINERVA LOVE! DON'T DO THIS!" he bellowed, falling to his knees once more, grabbing her arm.

"It's Margaret!" she yelled, pulling her hand out Sirius', embarrassed, "It's Hestia Margaret Jones!" she squealed, and Sirius' eyes twinkled. Beside her, Lily heard Hestia groan, and giggled.

"I LOVE YOU MINNIE!" Sirius said happily, picking McGonagall up and swinging her in a circle.

"Mr. Black! Put me down this instant!" she yelled, and Sirius obliged.

"One week love," he said, brushing her cheek with his fingers, and turning back to his friends. The whole hall clapped, laughed and wolf whistled, and Sirius took a bow as a flustered McGonagall made her way back up to the high table, where Dumbledore was giving Sirius a standing ovation. Sirius sat down in between James and Remus, who were howling with laughter, and winked at Hestia, who rolled her eyes, laughing, "So, Margaret?" he asked, and Hestia groaned, hiding her face in her hands.

"I hate him," she whined to Lily, who nodded sympathetically, grinning.

"I told you I'd find out," Sirius said happily, and Hestia looked up, narrowing her eyes at him, "Now, to do the honors," he said, clapping his hands together, and the Marauders snickered.

"What?" Hestia asked warily.

"HESTIA MARGARET JONES!"

"Oh bloody hell"

**

* * *

Hi guys! Hope you liked the chapter! I'll update faster I swear. I've already started the next chapter. Enjoy! Review!**

**Happy fanficcing!**


	24. QuidditchQuidditch

**Hey! Well, you guys know nothing about me, and I don't like it because you're a giant part of my day. So, hi, my name is Niharika, I'm female, I'm 16, I live in Indonesia (it's near Australia), I've lived in 4 countries my whole life, I'm a junior in high school and I go to a school called JIS and I LOVE to write. That's the basics I guess. SO, I hope you like the story! It'll be over soon, but I'm going to write a sequel. So after this ends I'll tell you the name of the next story if you want to continue (:**

**.writing- I don't think you're crazy, I do that when the pizza delivery guy arrives. So we're good haha**

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**GraciGrl66- Cheri, no need to thank me for praying for you, you crazy person! I hope you get better soon! And Graci, you're very welcome haha.**

**Anana53- oh my gosh I'm sorry I haven't 'spoken' to you sooner. Your reviews make me laugh, every time (in a good way of course). And I'm actually not sure if they're going to do it soon. Let's see (hehe suspense)**

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**And drown me in love- I don't write that story…haha**

**I'm sorry I don't reply to all of your reviews, but I enjoy reading all of them just as much. But I promise if you ask a question I will answer you. Cross my heart. **

**HAPPY FANFICCING! **

**

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter sadly enough. **

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_NEWTS are over. Sirius Black found out Hestia's middle name. They're scared for life after Hogwarts. The Quidditch Cup is going to happen!_

* * *

"HESTIA MARGARET JONES!"

"Lily I'm going to kill myself," Hestia groaned. They had been in Lily's bedroom the whole day while their boyfriends were off at Quidditch Practice. Alice and Frank had been planning the wedding. Remus and Peter had been at Quidditch practice. They had gone for an hour or so, then gotten bored, and decided to go back to Lily's dorm and talk.

"HESTIA MARGARET JONES!"

"Lily!" Hestia groaned, falling down, face first, onto the pillow. Ever since Sirius had found out the night before, he hadn't stopped yelling it.

"He's breaking it in?" Lily suggested, and Hestia turned to the side to glare at Lily, who was trying her best not to laugh.

"You can laugh," Hestia sighed, and Lily grinned at her friend.

"Thank you for your permission,"

"You're most welcome"

"HESTIA MARGARET JONES!"

"BLOODY WHAT?" Hestia yelled back, and Lily jumped at the sudden outburst from her friend, "Sorry Lils," Hestia said, and Lily laughed.

"HESTIA MARGARET JONES! HESTIA MARGARET JONES! MARGARET! MARGARET!"

"You know, if you say a word over and over, it starts to not make sense," Lily said, listening to Sirius yell, "Margaret"

"Margaret"

"Margaret"

"Margaret"

"Margaret"

"You're right that does sound weird," Hestia giggled, leaning on Lily, "I wonder if that'll work on Sirius. Anyway, I think you should," she said, getting back to the topic they had been discussing.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, don't you want to?"

"Well, yes," Lily said, and Hestia winked, "Hest!" she squealed, nudging Hestia, who laughed, and the girls made their way downstairs.

"HESTIA MARGARET JONES! HESTIA MARGAR- oh there you are," he said happily. The four Marauders were sitting in the sitting area, and the other three were laughing as Sirius continuously yelled for Hestia. Peter had his fingers in his ears, and James was laughing at both Peter and Sirius. Remus, however, was reading a book.

"How do you do that?" Hestia asked, sitting down next to Remus, who grinned at her.

"Years of practice," he chuckled, and Hestia groaned.

"I don't know if I have the dedication," she said seriously, and winked at her boyfriend, who looked flabbergasted.

"Hi," Lily said softly, sitting down next to James, who had been looking at her.

"Hey," he said quietly, smiling down at her.

"How was practice?" she asked, gesturing to the Quidditch Robes he was still in.

"Good, I think we're all set for tomorrow," James whispered back happily and Lily grinned at him

"That's great James,"

"What did you girls do?"

"Well we-"

"Why are you whispering?" Sirius yelled, leaning in between Lily and James so his head was in between theirs.

"Merlin Sirius," Lily said, rubbing her ears. Sirius grinned at Lily.

"Ah Lily-flower, so sensitive," he said, and pat her head. Lily glared at him and turned to James, who was grinning up at his best mate.

"If we get married, we're not keeping the dog," she said sternly, and James burst out laughing, as did everyone else.

"We'll put him up for adoption," James said seriously, and Lily grinned at him.

"I knew I loved you," she said happily, and James laughed.

"Lily-flower I am hurt!" Sirius said, grasping at his chest and falling to his knees in front of Lily.

"You have got to stop doing that," Hestia said, frustrated, pulling her boyfriend to her feet.

"Do I make you jealous love?"

"No," Hestia said, and Sirius grinned, putting one of his hands in her hair and taking a step closer to her.

"No reason to be jealous love," he said quietly, leaning down to kiss her.

"Yuck," Remus muttered, moving to sit on the other side of James, where he couldn't see anything. James laughed and clapped Remus on the back.

"I agree," Peter said, looking nauseated.

"I think we're going now," Sirius said breathlessly, looking down at Hestia, who turned pink. James, Peter and Remus snickered and Sirius turned to glare at his friends. Lily giggled and Sirius turned to look at her, "You're welcome to join us Lily-flower," he winked, and James growled from next to Lily, "Oh I'm so scared," he said sarcastically, and James chuckled, "Okay bye!" Sirius said, grabbing Hestia's hand and running out of the Heads dorm.

"I'll come back later Lily, I wasn't done talking to you!" Hestia yelled over her shoulder

"What were you talking about?" Peter asked.

"Nothing," Lily squeaked, and James raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, so, we're going to go too," Remus said, standing up and gesturing to Peter.

"What why?" Peter asked, bewildered. Remus rolled his eyes, much to Lily and James' amusement, and grabbed Peter by the cloak and led him from the room, "Moony I don't understand!" they heard Peter yell, and laughed. When the door closed, James looked down at Lily.

"So what were you talking about?"

"Nothing!" Lily squeaked, and James raised his eyebrows.

"Doesn't sound like nothing," he grinned, nudging her, and Lily blushed.

"Go take a shower Potter, you stink," she said, standing up, and James guffawed.

"I do not!"

"Yes James, you do," Lily chuckled.

"Well, maybe I do, stop changing the topic!"

"I'm not changing the topic," Lily squeaked, her face turning bright red, giving her away.

"Of course you aren't," James said, standing up so that he was only a few inches away from Lily, "Now, what aren't you telling me?" he teased, taking a step closer to her.

"Go shower Potter," Lily muttered, looking at the floor, and walking away from James. James chuckled and grabbed her elbow, turning her around, and dropped a kiss on her.

"I love you Lils"

"I know," she grinned, and skipped over to her staircase. James shook his head, smiling, and pulled his robes off as he made his way to the bathroom.

* * *

"Sirius," Hestia murmured, leaning away from him. Sirius ignored her and made his way down to her jaw, "Sirius," she said again.

"Mmm," he said, from somewhere by her ear.

"Sirius we should stop," she said, putting her hands on his chest and pushing him a little. Sirius wrapped his arms around her waist and shook his head, and Hestia giggled, "Sirius!"

"What Margaret?" he said, leaning back to grin at her.

"Merlin, Sirius Black, if you ever call me that," she said, narrowing her eyes, and she saw Sirius's eyes twinkle.

"What are you going to do Margaret?"

"I hate you," she muttered, pushing him off her and walking out of the Room of Requirement as Sirius laughed. Sirius chuckled and sank down onto the armchair, pulling the _Daily Prophet _out from behind him. There was a sound outside and he walked over to it. There were muffled voices from the other side so Sirius pulled out his wand and made them clearer. He listened to their conversation and felt his heart sink.

"Merlin," he groaned, sinking down onto the floor and grabbing his hair.

* * *

"Lily I hate my boyfriend," Hestia said, barging into the Heads dorm, to see Lily lying on the sofa screaming and James leaning over her, "What are you doing?" she asked, grinning and Lily continued to scream.

"I'm tickling her," James said, grinning at Hestia, who laughed.

"Not Lily! She's so ticklish!"

"I know," James said happily, and continued to tickle Lily, who continued to scream of laughter.

"Why are you torturing my best friend?"

"Because she wont tell me what you two were talking about," James shrugged, and Hestia turned bright red.

"Hang in there Lils," Hestia squealed, and James' jaw dropped.

"I thought you would save her by telling me!"

"Not likely," Hestia snorted, and James sighed, releasing Lily.

"About time," Lily said in a breathless voice, narrowing her eyes up at James, who grinned at her cheekily.

"I love you too Lils"

"Lily let's go!" Hestia said, walking over to the couple.

"No she's mine!" James said, grabbing Lily and swinging her over his shoulder. He started to back away from Hestia, who took a step over to him.

"James Potter give me my best friend," she said, her voice strained from trying not to laugh. James shook his head and Hestia ran towards him. James let out a yell and started to run away from her. Lily screamed as Hestia chased James around, and James jumped onto sofas and desks and chairs.

"James put me down!" she squealed, and James sighed, putting her down onto the floor in front of him, holding her close to him.

"No, bad boy," Hestia said as James kissed Lily, and grabbed Lily's hair, and pulled it.

"Bloody _ow _Hestia!" Lily yelled, holding the back of her hair. James chuckled and kissed Lily's cheek, and Hestia huffed.

"You can snog and do whatever you want after I talk to Lily," she said to James, whose eyes twinkled in anticipation.

"You swear?"

"Yes I swear," Hestia said.

"Hello?" Lily said, turning to her best friend, and James chuckled.

"Hi dear," Hestia said cheerfully, and took Lily's hand, "Say bye to your boyfriend"

"Bye boyfriend," Lily said, grinning at James.

"Good girl, let's go," Hestia said, tugging on Lily's hand and dragging her up the staircase.

"Bye love," James yelled after them, and Lily turned around to grin at him before she vanished into her bedroom. James shook his head, chuckling, and walked over to his desk where he had the Quidditch strategy for the next day planned out. He sat down and jumped back up as the door crashed open.

"Prongs." James turned around quickly to see Sirius standing there, tear stains on his face.

"Padfoot what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, walking over to Sirius.

"Regulus," Sirius choked out, and James put his arms around Sirius as Sirius bit his lip, trying not to cry.

"Upstairs mate, the girls are here," James said, leading Sirius up to his room. James led Sirius to the bed and set him down, his arm around his shoulder, "What happened mate?"

"He joined," Sirius whispered, and James frowned.

"He joined what?"

"Them," Sirius said, wiping at his eyes, "Voldemort," James froze and looked at Sirius incredulously. Sirius took a deep breath and looked up at James.

"Are you serious?" he asked, and Sirius chuckled, and nodded. James shook his head; Only Sirius Black would make a joke in this situation.

"Yes I am," he said dejectedly, and James felt his stomach sink. Sirius and Regulus were completely different people, and the Blacks had disowned Sirius, as had Regulus, but Sirius had always cared for Regulus. It was why he had always been so terrible to him; because he didn't want Regulus to join the dark side.

"I'm so sorry mate," James whispered, and Sirius sighed, leaning his head on James' shoulder.

"My baby brother's a Death Eater."

* * *

"Lily just do it!" Hestia said, exasperated, and Lily blushed.

"Hestia I'm scared!"

"I know you are, but doesn't mean you shouldn't," Hestia shrugged, and Lily sighed, "Now, stop moping. I have to go find Sirius because I abandoned him, and you can go snog your boyfriend, let's go," Hestia said, standing up and holding out her hand to Lily, who giggled.

"Are you sure we can handle that?" she asked seriously, and Hestia laughed.

"We will try. Come on." The two girls walked down the stairs at the same time that Sirius and James did, "I found you!" Hestia said happily, launching herself at Sirius, and throwing her arms around his neck. Sirius grinned, and James smiled as he saw his friend smile.

"Couldn't have been too hard," Sirius said in a husky voice, and Lily frowned. It sounded as if Sirius had been crying. Hestia noticed the same thing and let go of her boyfriend, taking a step back to look at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and Sirius shook his head.

"Don't want to talk about it," he said, and Hestia nodded in understanding.

"Let's go?" she asked, holding her hand out to him. Sirius smiled and took her hand.

"Thanks mate," he said to James, who shook his head and smiled.

"Not a problem mate,"

"I love you James!" Sirius said happily, and James laughed.

"I love you too Sirius"

"We definitely need more boyfriends," Hestia said to Lily.

"I think one's enough," Lily said, raising her eyebrows in a teasing manner

"That's not what I meant!" Hestia squealed, and Lily laughed, as did everyone else.

"Who would've thought we'd end up with boys who are more infatuated with their best mate than with us?" Lily sighed, and Hestia nodded frantically

"That's what I meant!"

"Let's go," Sirius said, embarrassed, slinging his arm around Hestia's shoulders, "Bye," he said, and Lily and James waved.

"Lily, remember what I said," Hestia said, over her shoulder, and Lily blushed. Hestia and Sirius walked out of the dorm, shutting the door behind them, and Lily suddenly found a six-foot boy in front of her.

"Hi," she said, grinning up at James, who chuckled.

"Hi love," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Now can I know what you were talking about?"

"No," she said, blushing, and James groaned, "You'll find out soon," she promised, and James grinned.

"I can live with that," he said happily, leaning down to kiss her.

"What's wrong with Sirius?" she asked, pulling away from James, who sighed, "Sorry, you don't have to tell me," she said, and James shook his head.

"It's not that. Well, okay, you know Regulus?"

"Sirius's brother? Yes," she said, and James nodded.

"Well, he's a Death Eater," James whispered. He expected Lily to scream, or look disgusted, or, at the very least, scrunch her nose, but he got the opposite effect.

"Poor Sirius," she sighed

"You're not, you know, disgusted?" he asked in a shocked tone, and Lily looked up at him.

"At what?"

"Well, Regulus, Sirius," he shrugged, and Lily frowned.

"Why would I be disgusted at Sirius?"

"Well, people usually are," he said quietly, and Lily sighed, and looked up at James.

"This isn't his fault. Plus, I love him, in a brotherly fashion, and I don't think that he can change his family," she said, and James smiled down at her, "What?"

"You're so different Lily Evans," he chuckled, and twirled her fingers in his hands.

"As opposed to what?" she asked cheekily, and James grinned. He leaned down and kissed Lily, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Can I have another prize?" he whispered in her ear, and Lily giggled, "Good," he said, and picked her up, heading up to his room.

* * *

The next morning, Lily woke up to the sound of thudding. She stumbled over to James' room to see him doing his usual Quidditch workout. She stood there, outside the door, for a few minutes, leaning against the wall, watching. She wondered how anyone had the energy to do anything so early in the morning. She could barely get down the stairs in the morning without feeling exhausted.

"Are you done?" James teased, looking up from his push-ups, "Or should I stand up and flex?" Lily chuckled and turned around, "No! Come here!" James said, and Lily sighed, turning around and entering James' room. James jumped up, wearing his usual workout clothes, which were a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, and walked over to Lily. He leaned down and kissed her, putting his hands in her hair, and Lily gasped, as she was only expecting a peck, and James deepened the kiss. Once Lily was out of breath, she turned her head and took in a gulp of much needed oxygen. James didn't seem to need oxygen, and moved down to her jaw.

"Morning?" Lily chuckled, as James kissed her neck. James chuckled and pulled away from Lily, leaning his forehead against hers, and she flushed.

"Morning"

"What was with the enthusiastic good morning?" she teased, and James grinned at her.

"I get nervous before Quidditch," he shrugged, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"You weren't this nervous before the match against Hufflepuff"

"Different situation, this is the cup," he chuckled, and Lily grinned.

"Are you always this nervous?"

"Yes," he said, slightly confused as to where she was going.

"So was it Sirius last year?" she teased, and James guffawed.

"How did you know?" he asked sarcastically, and Lily grinned up at him. James beamed back down at her, and she blushed, before James dove in again.

"James really," she gasped, as he finally let her go, "It's just a match, like any other Quidditch match you've played"

"Just a match?" he asked, exasperated, and Lily laughed.

"Well, is it the same venue as the rest of the matches?"

"Yes,"

"Is it the same crowd?"

"I guess"

"Is it the same scoring method?"

"Sure,"

"Then it's the same!" she said, putting her hands on James' shoulders.

"No it's not!"

"There's no winning with you," Lily muttered, and James grinned down at her, "Go ahead, get back to your workout," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"No I'd rather do something else," he said in a low voice, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her towards him.

"I don't want to distract you from Quidditch," she said cheekily, blushing, putting her hands on his and peeling them off her.

"Well, way I think about it, this could be Quidditch too," he said, pushing her hands away and putting them back on her hips.

"Do I want to know?" she asked exasperated.

"I knew you'd want me to explain," he grinned, kissing her on the nose, "So, you're the hoop," he said, and Lily giggled, "Yes, the hoop, and I'm trying to score," he said, and then clapped his hand over his mouth as Lily burst out laughing.

"Well there are balls involved," she nodded seriously, and James grinned down at her.

"Do you want there to be balls involved?" he asked, gripping her tighter, and Lily turned bright red.

"I'm going to go sleep," she squeaked, but James didn't let her go.

"Lils, why do you keep blushing around me?" he asked, and Lily blushed even further, "see you just did it!"

"It's nothing," she said and James groaned

"I don't like lies," he whispered, and Lily chuckled.

"Fine, it's something,"

"Yay, progress," he winked, and Lily smiled, "So, what is this mysterious _something_?"

"James!" Lily whined, pulling away from him, and James squeezed her tighter.

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me," he said.

"What if we go into Quidditch time, you'll be late," she pointed out.

"Marauders are never late," he started, and Lily shook her head.

"Everyone else is simply early, right?"

"I wasn't going to say that," he snorted, "I was going to say, everyone else simply needs a life," he grinned, and Lily laughed, "Come on Lils, I don't actually want to miss Quidditch!"

"I don't know how to talk about it,"

"Why not? You can tell me Lily," he said quietly, brushing his fingers on her cheekbone, and Lily looked up into his eyes.

"Well, its something I've been discussing with Hestia," she said quietly, and James' eyes widened.

"So this is the mysterious thing you were talking about!" he said happily, and Lily giggled, "Yay I get to kill two words with one stone,"

"I don't like the idea of you killing birds," Lily said, and James rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to ignore that statement," he said, and Lily beamed, "Hit me." Lily smacked James's arm, and he snorted, "I didn't mean it literally Lils"

"You didn't specify"

"You're so loony when you're stalling," he grinned, kissing her cheek, and Lily flushed.

"Loony?"

"Merlin Lily just get on with it, I'm getting old here," he laughed, and Lily giggled.

"Well, fine, I'll just, well," James smiled at how awkward Lily was getting. She was looking down at the floor and twirling a lock of her hair in her baby finger.

"I didn't know you did that," he said, and Lily frowned up at him, "Twirl your hair I mean. Especially in your baby finger," he grinned, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him, dropping the lock of hair, "Now get on with it Lily, I'm going to die waiting for you. Okay, let's make this easier?" Lily smiled up at him and he shook his head fondly, "First word that comes to mind about it"

"Really?"

"Just do it"

"Erm"

"Lily!"

"Sex!"

"What?" James asked, flabbergasted. Lily turned bright red and jumped away from James, who was looking down at her with wide eyes, "Lils what did you say?"

"Nothing!" she squeaked, covering her mouth and shaking her head frantically, "I'm going to go, uhm, do something," she said, turning around to walk out, but James grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back to him. He put a finger under her chin and pulled her face up so she was looking him in the eye, "I'm sorry!" she squeaked, and James started to laugh.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I don't know! You looked flustered!"

"I am flustered, but you don't have to apologize"

"I'm sorry!"

"Are you apologizing for apologizing?" James asked, grinning, "You're so cute when you're nervous love," he said, and Lily smiled at him warily, "So, sex?" he asked, and Lily turned a deep shade of red. She opened her mouth but James cut her off, "If you apologize I will tickle you," he teased, and Lily laughed, "So?"

"Well, yes," she said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"You want to?"

"No," she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. James laughed and leaned his forehead on hers.

"I do too," he said quietly, and Lily looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Now what?" she asked, and James threw his head back and laughed.

"I love you," he said, and Lily beamed, "Well, now?" he asked, fingering his hair anxiously.

"No not now, you have Quidditch," she said, and James chuckled.

"Lils I wouldn't mind skipping Quidditch"

"This is bad for you," she said seriously, and James grinned, "Now go! Breakfast is in a few minutes," she pushed his chest, and James shook his head.

"I wont be able to think straight now!"

"I love you too," she grinned, before walking out of the room.

"When?" he yelled, and Lily shrugged, and winked, before walking out of the room, "Lily," James muttered, shaking his head fondly as he walked over to get his Quidditch robes.

* * *

"Lily-flower?"

"Yes?"

"Is that really you?" Sirius asked, reaching his hand out to touch her face as if to make sure she was really there.

"Yes," Lily said, slapping his hand away

"You're awake in time?" he asked incredulously, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him as everyone laughed.

"Why are you awake? This isn't natural!" Sirius yelled and Lily flushed as people in the vicinity turned to see what he was yelling about.

"I agree with him," Hestia said, grinning from across Lily. She stepped on Lily's foot, and Lily looked up to yell at her, to see Hestia with her eyebrows up. Of course, a silent girl conversation. Lily nodded, and Hestia beamed, and shrugged, as if to ask what happened.

"By him, she means devilishly good looking swoon worthy boyfriend who she's so in love with," Sirius said, and the Marauders snorted, oblivious to the girls 'conversation'. Hestia squealed and the boys jumped, looking at Hestia as if she was crazy.

"What?" Remus asked, looking at Hestia, and to Lily, who was flushing.

"Nothing!" Hestia said in a high voice, "We'll see you at the game!" she yelled, standing up and pointing at Lily, who sighed and stood up.

"No!" James said, grabbing Lily's hand, and Lily chuckled, "What am I going to do?" he asked, and Lily sighed.

"You will be fine," she said, looking down at him. He looked up at her worriedly, and she sighed. She put her hand in his hair and messed it around, "You'll be fine," she said more earnestly, and leaned down to kiss him. She stood up quickly and James' face fell into a pout.

"She'll give you more after you win," Sirius said, pushing Lily away from James. Remus raised his eyebrows at Sirius, who rolled his eyes, "It's inspiration."

"I think the word you're looking for is motivation," Alice snorted, and Sirius narrowed his eyes at her.

"It's both,"

"Okay Sirius," Alice grinned, and Sirius smiled, and turned to Hestia.

"See I'm smart"

"I never said otherwise!" Hestia said, and Sirius grinned.

"Still, I'm smart"

"Okay?" Hestia said uncertainly, and grabbed Lily's hand, "We will see you later"

"No, that just won't do, what if I get nervous?" Sirius said, grabbing Hestia's ponytail.

"We'll visit you in the changing rooms okay?" Hestia said, "Now get your paws off my hair!" she said, and Sirius barked a laugh, and released her hair, "I'll bring Lily too," she said to James, who grinned and turned back to his cereal, "Really Lily these boys are ridiculous," Hestia said as they walked away.

"I HEARD THAT!"

"I LOVE YOU TOO SIRIUS!" Hestia yelled, and walked out of the Great Hall, "So?"

"Well, I brought it up," Lily said awkwardly, and Hestia grinned.

"So when?"

"I don't know!"

"I think you should do it tonight," Hestia said, and Lily choked, "Oh grow up." Lily laughed and the girls made their way down to the Quidditch Pitch with the rest of the school as they started leaving the Great Hall.

"Are we stopping there?" Lily asked, gesturing to the changing rooms and Hestia sighed.

"I guess we'll have to," she grumbled, and dragged Lily towards the changing rooms. She pushed open a flap and walked in.

"MARGARET!"

"I think we're in the wrong changing room," Hestia said, grabbing Lily and turning around, much to the amusement of the Quidditch team.

"Fair maiden 'tis I!" Sirius yelled, grabbing Hestia and turning her around. Hestia shook her head fondly and reached up to mess his hair up, "Hestia!" Sirius yelled, letting go of her and running to the mirror to fix his hair.

"Is that a grey hair I see?" Lily asked, peering at Sirius's hair. James shoved his fist in his mouth as Sirius began to yell.

"No! Not a grey hair! Not my gorgeous locks! Not today!" he panicked, hunting through his hair in the mirror. Once he found none, he flushed and turned around, straightening up, "I wasn't worried."

"I'm sure you weren't," Hestia grinned, walking over to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek.

"Nothing can happen to my gorgeous locks," he snorted, and Hestia giggled. Lily turned away and saw James looking at her. She smiled and walked over to him.

"Nervous?"

"Yes!" James said in a high-pitched voice. Lily smiled and wound her hand through his.

"You'll be okay," she said, and James looked down at her.

"What if we lose?" he choked.

"You wont lose. You're playing Slytherin!" she said, "Their keeper is bollocks, the chasers don't do anything except fly towards the hoops, the seeker is bloody slow. The only thing you have to worry about are the beaters!" she said, exasperated. She noticed that the whole Gryffindor Quidditch Team was looking at her incredulously, and flushed, "I didn't spy," she muttered, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Our responsible Head Girl," he said fondly, and Lily grinned.

"I can't believe you spied," James chuckled, and Lily looked down at the floor. James stepped towards her and put his hands in her hair, "You know what I'm thinking about?" he whispered, and Lily giggled, "It's not funny!" he said, grinning, and Lily beamed up at him.

"Yes it is," she chuckled, nodding, and James groaned.

"Lils," he whined

"Well, at least you have something to look forward to after the game," she shrugged, and James eyes widened.

"Really?" he said, a smile creeping on his face. Lily rolled her eyes, trying to cover up for the butterflies in her stomach.

"Bye!" Hestia said, grabbing Lily around the middle and pulling her away from James. The team laughed as Lily fell over onto her bum, and James narrowed his eyes at Hestia.

"I hate you Hestia Jones"

"I love you too," she grinned, blowing James a kiss, before looking down at Lily, "Oh for Merlin's sakes Lily," she huffed, and Lily looked up at her incredulously.

"You made me fall over!"

"No that was your own equilibrium's fault. I just withdrew you from your stupid hormonal boyfriend," she said, putting her hands on her hip. Lily grinned and looked over at James, who had his eyebrows raised at Hestia, while the team laughed.

"How would you know about Prongs' hormones?" Sirius asked, slinging an arm around James' shoulders.

"It's a secret," Hestia winked, before dragging Lily up, "Lily you're so slow!"

"Hestia Jones I will-"

"I love you too Lily," Hestia giggled, as she dragged Lily out of the changing rooms, followed by laughter.

* * *

"So, the cup," James started, looking around at his team, "It's finally here. We can do this. We have to win. It's our last chance to win this year. It's my last chance to win ever," he said.

"HEM-HEM!" Sirius said, and James chuckled.

"Okay, it's mine and Padfoot's last chance to win," he said, and Sirius smiled his satisfaction as the team chuckle, "This is it. If we don't win this, all our practices will be for nothing."

"Yes, all those ridiculously early mornings and countless hours which might have harbored my chances at having children," Sirius said, and James turned to look at him.

"Padfoot will you shut up?"

"No"

"Thought so," James muttered fondly, as the team laughed, "Anyway, it's been a great year, and you've all been a great team to captain. I'm proud of each and every one of you, except Padfoot," he added, and Sirius scoffed, "We've all grown into better Quidditch Players this year, and I hope we win this. Let's do this!" he said, and the team cheered.

"For my penis!"

"Padfoot!"

"Fine, for Gryffindor!" Sirius said, in a less enthusiastic tone, and the team cheered through their laughter. They walked out of the changing room, Sirius with his arm around James, to be greeted by cheers from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. There was a roar and they turned quickly to see a lion hovering above the Quidditch Pitch. James grinned and looked over at who had conjured it, Lily of course, who was tucking her wand into her sleeve. She looked up and grinned at him sheepishly as the lion roared once again.

"Wow," Tonks murmured from next to him, and he winked at Lily.

"It's the cup!" Remus yelled into the microphone, and the stadium erupted in cheers, "Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" he said Slytherin in a bitter tone, and there was a small portion of cheering from the Slytherins, whom no one else was rooting for.

"Captains, shake hands," Hooch boomed, and James stepped forward to shake hands with the Slytherin Captain, Mulciber. Avery was on his other side, grinning at James slyly, and Regulus Black was cowering behind, with his eyes on his big brother, who was glaring at him. James felt Mulciber try to crush his hand, and squeezed back with all his might, and, to his satisfaction, Mulciber let go quickly, "Nice clean game, all of you! Good luck!" she said, "Three, two, one," the whistle sounded and the teams soared into the air. The lion roared once again, and James grinned as he felt the wind in his hair.

"Good luck mate!" Sirius yelled, clapping him on the back and James grinned at him.

"Smash them," he winked, and Sirius barked a laugh, before soaring towards a bludger that had been released.

"The teams are off! And it's Tonks with the Quaffle, flying across the pitch. Slytherin isn't doing much to stop her, not that I'm complaining, sorry professor, and OH she just swerved a nasty bludger aimed by Avery, I've never liked that bloke, and she's feinted left, and SHE SCORES! TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" Remus screeched into the microphone, and the stadium cheered.

"Nice one Tonks!" James yelled, and Tonks grinned as she flew by.

"Bloody fantastic Tonks! Now the Slytherin Keeper has the Quaffle, he's passed it to Mulciber, who's flying across the pitch, and OUCH that had to hurt, he's hit by a nasty bludger aimed by McKinnon. He drops the Quaffle and McLaggen catches it. He passes to Tonks, who passes back, back and forth and back and forth and OH damn the Slytherin keeper saves it. Slytherin have the Quaffle and is heading down. Tonks is trying to block him and OUCH YOU IDIOT!" Remus yelled, standing up and yelling at Avery, who'd aimed a bludger that had hit Tonks. James flew down and helped Tonks get to the ground along with Sirius.

"Tonks are you okay?" James asked as they got to the floor, ignoring the cheers from the Slytherin end of the pitch.

"Yes," she said, holding her nose, "I think my nose is broken." James moved her hand and saw that her nose was, in fact, broken.

"Okay I can fix that, it's going to hurt a little," he said, and Tonks rolled her eyes. He grinned and pulled out his wand, "_Episkey,_" he muttered and there was a crack. Tonks's nose stopped bleeding and went back to its original state, "Okay?"

"Yes, let's go!" Tonks said, and Sirius barked a laugh. James gave Remus a thumbs-up sign, and Remus nodded.

"Tonks is okay!" he yelled happily, and the stadium erupted in cheers, "That's our girl," he said, and James saw Tonks blush, and grinned, "And they're off, Tonks seems to be trying to get revenge. She's flown towards Avery and, oh wow, she slapped him across the face," Remus chuckled, as the stadium erupted in laughs and claps, "Tonks has got a penalty, and she takes a shot, and SHE SCORES!"

After a long time, there was a scream, "JAMES!" Remus screeched, and James turned quickly to see a bludger flying towards him. He twirled and dodged the bludger, and there was a collective sigh. Sirius, looking furious, flew over to James.

"You alright mate?"

"Yeah I'm good," James said, and Sirius nodded. He raised his bat and hit the bludger, which hit the keeper, causing McLaggen to score, "Nice one!" James grinned, and Sirius beamed as the stands cheered.

"Prongs!" Sirius yelled, pointing towards the other end of the pitch, where there was a glint of gold. James leaned forwards on his broom and sped off towards the snitch. Regulus noticed and flew over to James. The two seekers were shoulder to shoulder. James reached forwards and withdrew his hand quickly as a bludger flew past. The bludger his Regulus' finger and Regulus howled with pain. James reached forwards and felt his fingers wrap around the cold metal and grinned.

"YES!" he bellowed, pulling out of the dive with his fist thrust in the air.

"WE WON!" Remus screeched into the microphone as McGonagall wept shamelessly beside him. James grinned and flew over to where Lily was in the stands and pulled her onto the broom.

"James I cant!" she squeaked, and James shook his head and flew off for a victory round of the pitch, "You won!" she squealed, wrapping her arms around his middle, and James grinned, he doubted he had ever been happier. He dropped Lily off on the floor next to Hestia, and flew back up towards his team.

"PRONGS!" Sirius yelled, crashing into him, causing James to almost fall off his broom. Regulus, who was still hovering where he had been when James had caught the snitch, looked up at his brother. Sirius, noticing his brother, looked down at him.

"Hi," Regulus said quietly, and James saw Sirius' jaw clench.

"Can I help you?"

"I miss you," Regulus said, and Sirius' eyes glazed with tears.

"I miss you too,"

"Come home please?"

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head, "I can't do that. I can't believe you joined Reg," Sirius said, and Regulus looked down at his left arm instinctually.

"I cant either," Regulus said quietly, "Congrats, and, erm, goodbye," Regulus said, and Sirius smiled at his brother.

"Bye"

"SIRIUS!" the three boys turned to see Hestia standing below, with Lily at her side. Sirius grinned down at his girlfriend and Regulus smiled at his brother.

"She's hot, man,"

"I know right," Sirius chuckled, and grinned at his brother, "Take care of yourself,"

"You too," Regulus said, and flew over to the Slytherins as Sirius and James flew down.

"I'm happy now," Sirius said to James, who grinned, knowing how much that must've meant to Sirius.

"I'm happy for you mate," James said, "I have to talk to you," he said awkwardly, and Sirius grabbed James' broom, stopping him.

"The sex thing?"

"How did you know?" James asked awkwardly, and Sirius grinned.

"Hestia sucks at keeping secrets," he said, rolling his eyes, and James laughed, "Well go for it mate," Sirius said, clapping James on the back.

"I can do that," James winked, and Sirius barked a laugh as they made their way down to the grass.

"SIRIUS!" Hestia squealed, pulling him off the broom and hugging him tightly, "YOU WON!"

"I know!" Sirius said happily, swinging her around.

"I can't believe it's all over," Alice sighed from next to Hestia.

"I know," James muttered, fingering his hair.

"POTTER!" McGonagall yelled, running over to James. James looked up, frightened, and McGonagall launched herself on him on a hug, causing all the Gryffindors jaws to drop, "POTTER YOU DID IT!" she screeched, letting go of James, who was bright red.

"Er, yeah," he said awkwardly.

"MINERVA!" Sirius yelled, and McGonagall turned to him.

"You too Mr. Black," she said, holding her hand out to him. Sirius rolled his eyes and put his arm around Hestia, ignoring her hand.

"I am hurt Minnie! It's over!" he said dramatically, and McGonagall rolled her eyes.

"Its about bloody time," she muttered, and Lily grinned. McGonagall winked at Lily and continued sobbing into her cloak. Dumbledore walked onto the pitch, and handed the cup to McGonagall, much to general applause, and McGonagall sobbed.

"PARTY IN THE COMMON ROOM!" Sirius bellowed, and the whole of Gryffindor cheered. Sirius swung his arm around James' shoulder, his other arm around Hestia, and started to lead him to the changing rooms. James grabbed Lily and dragged her along with them. They entered the changing rooms and it was in full celebration.

"TONKS YOU WERE AMAZING!" Remus, who had followed them in, yelled. Tonks flushed and grinned at Remus.

"Thanks Remus," she said, and Remus grinned.

"I can't believe you're only a second year," Remus said, shaking his head, and Lily saw Tonks flush deeper. She nudged Hestia, who grinned. James changed out of his Quidditch robes quickly and came up behind Lily, wrapping his arms around her. Lily felt goose bumps rise on her arms and turned to smile at James.

"LETS GO!" Sirius yelled, grabbing everyone he could and pushing them towards the exit, "We're going to make an entrance as a team!" he said, and James grinned at his best mate.

"We'll go then," Lily said, gesturing to herself, Hestia and Remus. Before anyone could stop them, the three ducked out of the changing room, "Did you get the stuff from Hogsmeade?" Lily asked Remus, who chuckled.

"Pete did," he said, and put his arm around Lily's shoulders, "So, any plans?" he asked, and Lily turned bright red, before shaking her head. They made their way up to Gryffindor Tower, where the party was already in full swing. They were standing by the refreshments table, drinking Butterbeers, when the team walked in. they were greeted by massive applause, even the portraits were cheering. The team was slathered in people for an hour, before James could break free to get to Lily, who was talking to Hestia.

"Hey there," James said, hugging her from behind.

"Hi," Lily squeaked, and Hestia winked at her before walking to Sirius, who was sitting by the fire entertaining multiple girls, much to her dismay. When she approached, Sirius, ignoring all the other girls, stood up and walked over to her, "Congratulations," Lily said, turning around so that she was facing James, and James grinned down at her.

"I'm so happy," he grinned, and Lily smiled. He was so adorable, why had she waited until this year to say yes?

"Well you were just surrounded by girls," she said seriously, and James snorted, "I don't know what's worse, Slytherins or girls," she shuddered, and James laughed.

"Definitely the girls, Slytherins aren't as grabby," he said, and Lily chuckled.

"Yes we have claws," she said, wiggling her fingers at him, showing off her rather large nails.

"You don't have claws, my dear, you have daggers," he said, grabbing her hand and looking at her nails, "Do not use these as a weapon unless there are Slytherins around," James said sternly, and Lily laughed.

"Slytherins and Sirius?"

"Yes, definitely," James chuckled, and Lily grinned up at him.

"So, James Potter, you've just won the Quidditch Cup, what are you going to do next?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck, and James beamed down at her.

"I am going to dance with the most beautiful creature in the world," he said, and Lily grinned, "You think I'll be allowed to borrow Hestia?" Lily shrieked and James laughed, leaning down to lean his forehead against hers, "Lily will you dance with me?"

"No," she said, and James raised his eyebrows, "Your head is too inflated, it's taking up all the room," she said, and James leaned his head back to laugh.

"What if I deflate it?"

"Then I will dance with you," she said. James chortled and made an act of deflating his head, causing Lily's mouth to twitch.

"Better?"

"Much," she giggled.

"So, Lily Evans, your boyfriend has just won the Quidditch Cup and called you the most beautiful creature in the world, what are _you _going to do next?"

"I'm going to go to sleep," she said cheekily, and James waggled his eyebrows.

"With your boyfriend?"

"Maybe," she giggled, and James laughed.

"So you're going to sleep with your boyfriend?" he said awkwardly, and Lily bit her lip.

"I don't know, we'll see," she grinned, and James groaned.

"I thought I had something to look forward to!"

"Yes, but I didn't specify when. I said 'after the match'," Lily pointed out, and James narrowed his eyes at her, "I'm kidding!" she said, and James chuckled.

"Bad joke"

"Really? I thought it was pretty good"

"No"

"It was!" Lily protested, and James shook his head, "Fine maybe I'll just sleep _by myself_," Lily said, turning around so her hair whacked James in the face, and walking away from him. She made it three steps away before James caught up to her and swung her around.

"It was a very funny joke," he assured her, and Lily giggled.

"You're such a male, James," she laughed, and James grinned down at her.

"Does that mean you love me?"

"No, that means you're a male," she said, rolling her eyes, and James laughed.

"HELLO!" Sirius yelled, throwing his arm around Lily's shoulders, "Lily-flower!" he said happily, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Sirius are you drunk?" Lily giggled, wiping her cheek as James glared at his best mate.

"No! I only had a few!" he said.

"A few what?" James smirked.

"Bottles," Sirius grinned, and Lily laughed.

"Hi," Hestia sung, coming up on the other side of Lily.

"HESTIA MARGARET JONES!" Sirius said gleefully, stumbling over to her. Hestia rolled her eyes and supported Sirius as he leaned down to kiss her.

"I'm going to go," Lily chuckled, as Hestia attempted to get Sirius off her.

"Bye love," Sirius said, hugging Lily in a bear hug.

"Bye Sirius," Lily laughed, and pushed Sirius off her. Sirius stumbled backwards and crashed into James.

"PRONGSIE!" he yelled happily, hugging James, and James pat Sirius' back.

"I love you too Pads," James chuckled, and Sirius let go of him

"HAVE FUN!" he yelled, and James flushed as Sirius grabbed Hestia and dragged her over for yet another bottle of Firewhisky. James looked up at Lily, who suddenly felt butterflies explode in her stomach. He nodded towards the portrait hole and Lily nodded nervously. James grabbed her hand and twirled her around as they made their way over to the portrait hole.

They got to the Heads dormitory and James shut the door behind them. Lily looked at him, nervous, and he smiled at her, before walking over and brushing her hair out of her face, "Are you sure?" he whispered, and Lily looked up into his eyes.

"Do I ever do anything without thinking about it?" she teased, and James grinned.

"You mean over-thinking?" he chuckled, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him, "I was kidding!" he squeaked and Lily laughed, putting her arms around his neck.

"I love you James,"

"I love you too Lily," James whispered.

**

* * *

Hey everyone! Happy New Year! **


	25. Unflowered

**Hello everybody! I have decided I hate fog. It's horrible. It makes everything look colder than it actually is, and then you cant see which is just really scary, especially if you have an overactive imagination, such as myself. I keep imagining stupid spiders creeping out of it (fun fact, I am scared of spiders). **

**

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own the series, JK Rowling does.**

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup._

* * *

Lily woke up in the morning with a smile on her face. She sat up quickly and shook her head, trying to fathom why she was so happy. The events of the previous night flooded back to her and she buried her face in her pillow and squealed. She looked at the clock, to see it was only six in the morning, so she grabbed her Occlumency Diary and began to write.

**

* * *

Lily's Occlumency Diary**

I had sex. _I _had sex. I _had _sex. I had _sex. _I, Lily Clare Evans, had sex with James Potter last night. Oh my Merlin.

* * *

The banging of a door sounded and Lily jumped up off her bed. She slammed her diary shut and walked over to her door, wearing James' jersey. She pulled the door to her room open and walked down the stairs, tying her hair up in a knot on the way down the stairs. She walked down the stairs and heard the running water of the shower, and flushed. James was in there. She grinned, and replayed the events of the previous night in her head.

She was snapped out of her reverie by a screeching on the other side of the room. She turned to see Jackie perched on the back of the sofa, eying her hair. There were two letters tied to Jackie, and Lily sighed. She pulled her wand out and conjured up the object of her desire, a muggle army helmet, and placed it on her head, and tucked all her hair underneath it to protect it. She walked cautiously over to Jackie, who seemed to have lost interest in her hair, and untied the letters from her. Jackie looked up at her head again, before flying out of the window. Lily grinned and thrust her fist in the air victoriously.

"What are you doing?" James asked, amused. Lily turned around quickly to see him leaning against the door of the bathroom wearing muggle jeans and a grey jumper. Lily flushed as she looked at him and grinned.

"Morning," she said happily, and James laughed.

"Why are you so cheerful this morning?" he asked, winking, and Lily flushed, causing James to laugh.

"I'm not cheerful," Lily muttered, and James guffawed, and walked towards her. Lily felt her stomach flip like a pancake when James kissed her cheek.

"What's this for?" he asked, knocking on her helmet, and Lily jumped back from him.

"Don't do that!" she squealed, and James laughed.

"Why are you wearing…whatever that is?"

"It's called a helmet," she said, and James chuckled, "And I'm wearing it to protect my hair"

"Oh, right, of course, how silly of me," James said sarcastically, and Lily laughed.

"Your stupid owl was here, and I didn't want her to attack my hair again," she said, and James grinned, "It's not funny! It hurts," she said, and James pouted at her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her helmet off her head.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and Lily felt her stomach clench.

"I don't forgive you," she said, looking up into his face and James grinned down at her.

"Well that's a problem, now isn't it?" he said, resting his forehead on hers. Lily nodded, and James pretended to think, "Well, I think I know how to fix it," he said, leaning down towards her. Just then, there was a loud bang.

"MORNING EVERYBODY!" Sirius yelled, sauntering into the room, "Good morning Lily-flower!" he said happily, swinging her away from James and kissing her on the cheek, "PRONGSIE!" Sirius said happily, and James rolled his eyes, "How are you two lovebirds?" he asked, swinging his arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Why are you so cheerful?" Lily asked, looking up at Sirius.

"I don't know, I was hoping you would," Remus said, grinning at Lily. Peter, Hestia, Alice and Frank had also walked in, unnoticed, because of Sirius' very loud greeting.

"It's weird," Lily said, looking at Sirius, who was grinning.

"So, are you still Lily_-flower_?" he said, nudging her, and Lily turned a fiery shade of red. James cleared his throat and Remus' eyebrows shot up. Peter, Frank and Alice, however, didn't seem to understand.

"REALLY?" squealed Hestia, jumping up and down, and Lily looked at James, who winked at her.

"Why are you all here so early anyway?" James asked, ruffling his hair. Lily smiled at him gratefully for changing the topic, and he grinned at her.

"It's our last Hogsmeade weekend!" Sirius yelled, "Now, Lily-flower, or not so flower, I suggest you change out of that adorably skimpy little outfit of yours," he said, eying the jersey, which wasn't long enough to wear in polite company. Lily flushed and pulled down the hem of the jersey. Sirius continued to look at her legs until Hestia smacked him on the back of the head. Sirius looked over at Hestia and grinned cheekily and then grinned cheekily at James, who shook his head fondly.

"I'll go change," Lily said awkwardly, aware of everyone's eyes on James' jersey. She walked towards her stairs, and then turned around quickly, "Oh I almost forgot," she said, walking back over to James, and handing him the letters. James smiled at her and Lily grinned, before walking over to the stairs.

"One's yours!" Remus yelled, looking down at the letters in James' hands.

"James will hold it!" she yelled back, and James scoffed, grinning. Lily came back the stairs fast enough, wearing dark jeans and a simple emerald t-shirt, "Okay I'm ready," she said, walking over to her friends, who grinned.

"Let us go," Hestia said, swinging her arm around Lily's shoulders.

"We're all going together," Sirius whined.

"Why so obsessed with the togetherness?" Frank asked amusedly.

"It's the last visit," Peter explained for Sirius, who's jaw was hanging open, "It's a sentimental thing"

"Ah I see," Frank said.

"SO HERE'S THE PLAN!" Sirius yelled, and everyone jumped, "What's the plan?" he said, turning to Remus, who laughed.

"Well, I'm hanging out with my mates for a while," Frank said awkwardly, and everyone nodded in understanding.

"Makes sense," Sirius shrugged, "SO, Marauders are going to spend time together, you girls do something else," he said, winking at Hestia, who grinned, "and then we'll all meet up at 5 at the Three Broomsticks," he said, and they all nodded, "GOOD! LETS DO THIS!"

"We have to eat breakfast first," Remus chuckled.

"BREAKFAST!" Sirius yelled happily, and they all laughed, "HESTIA MARGARET JONES!" he said happily, and then, noticing Hestia's expression, he yelled, "HESTIA JONES!" Hestia laughed and walked over to Sirius, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"Much better," she grinned, and Sirius smiled down at her.

"I try"

"You two are nauseating," Peter murmured, walking around them to the door and leaving the dorm, much to everyone's amusement.

"He's jealous," Sirius said, winking down at Hestia, who laughed and let go of him.

"Lily we are going down to breakfast," she declared, and Lily grinned, "Alice!"

"I'm coming," Alice said, kissing Frank on the cheek before walking over to Hestia.

"It took you long enough," Lily scoffed, grinning at Alice, who laughed.

"My sincerest apologies your Headship," Alice said, bowing, "I'll try not to do it again,"

"Headship?" Hestia asked, raising her eyebrows, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'm Head Girl?"

"OH RIGHT!" Hestia yelled, and Lily and Alice exchanged a look, "Oh shut up," she said, grinning at her friends.

"Maybe if we stay here quietly, they'll take of their clothes and have a pillow fight," Sirius whispered, and James guffawed as the girls turned to glare at him.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but girls don't do that," Hestia said, and Sirius turned to look at James.

"Is that true?" he asked, and James looked down at Sirius, who looked genuinely upset.

"No, she's joking," James said soothingly, patting Sirius on the shoulder, and Sirius nodded, and turned to stick his tongue out at Hestia.

"And you wonder why they're dating," Alice chuckled, and Lily grinned at both Sirius and Hestia who were glaring at Alice.

"BREAKFAST!" Sirius yelled happily, grabbing Remus and James and running out of the doors, "Wait," he said, pulling them to a stop, causing both Remus and James to stumble, "females!" he yelled, turning around, and the girls raised their eyebrows, "Heel," he said, pointing to his feet. The girls raised their eyebrows at him threateningly, Sirius hid behind Frank, who was next to Remus, "They're going to eat me!"

"I doubt you would mind," Remus chuckled, and Sirius' eyes twinkled.

"Hestia, I require your services later," Sirius said, and Hestia turned bright red.

"Too much information!" Lily said, closing her eyes and covering her ears.

"My brain is burning!" Alice whined, "My poor cerebral cortex!" A blushing Hestia smacked both her friends on the back of the heads, and dragged them out of the room.

"Nice one Padfoot," Remus chuckled, patting Sirius on the back, and Sirius grinned.

"I'll get what I want," he shrugged, and the boys grimaced, not wanting the details, "They're so cute," Sirius said, cocking his head to the side and looking at the girls, who were walking a few meters ahead of them. Both James and Frank hit Sirius, "I'm sorry if they have great butts," he said, and James looked at Frank, who shook his head and looked back at the girls.

"He has a point," Remus said, and James shrieked, "Don't worry Prongs, you're safe," he winked, and James chuckled.

"I'll see you guys later," Frank said, as they reached the Great Hall, "I'm going to meet them in the Entrance Hall," he said, and the three boys waved at Frank, who ran over to Alice, "I'll see you at five?" he said, and Alice grinned up at him.

"Maybe," she grinned, and Frank laughed, and kissed her, before running off to the Entrance Hall.

"So Alice, you're getting married," Hestia said, sitting down next to Lily, who was in between Alice and Hestia. The boys sat in front of them, James sitting right in front of Lily, Sirius in front of Hestia, and Remus in front of Alice. James winked at Lily and kicked her foot.

"I am getting married," Alice said happily, and they smiled at her.

"What's the date?" Remus asked, and Alice looked up at him, "I don't want it to, erm, clash with stuff," he said awkwardly, and Alice nodded. Lily frowned, what if Alice's wedding _did _fall on a full moon?

"I'm thinking of July 18th," she said, thoughtfully, and they nodded. Lily did a mental calculation, and relaxed as she realized the full moon was not until July 25th. She grinned at Remus and nodded slightly, and he smiled at her.

"I think you should do it on the 18th," he said, and Alice nodded.

"I do too, but that means I have to go directly to Franks house after we graduate, and there'll be stuff to do," she said, frowning, and Lily and Hestia exchanged a look.

"I need to go!" Hestia said quickly.

"Me too!" Lily said, and the two girls walked swiftly out of the hall.

"What was that?" James asked, looking after Lily.

"That was your girlfriends escaping my wedding talk," Alice chuckled, "I'm not going to talk about it!" she yelled after them, and the two girls turned on the spot and returned, ignoring the boys snickers.

"Where's Peter?" Lily asked, looking around.

"I'm here!" he said, sitting down on the other side of Lily and smiled at her.

"Where were you?" James asked, as Sirius watched Hestia.

"Doing stuff," Peter shrugged, and Sirius' face shriveled.

"EW WORMTAIL I DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!" he yelled, covering his ears, and Peter turned bright red.

"I WASN'T DOING THAT!" he yelled, and the girls looked at the ceiling, pretending they didn't hear anything.

"I'm sure you weren't," Sirius coughed, and nudged Hestia's foot. Hestia looked down at him and he blew her a kiss, and she grinned. Lily felt pressure on her foot, and looked over at James, who smiled at her, making her heart flutter. James dropped his fork, on purpose, and leaned down to get it. Lily jumped as James' hand caught her knee. She looked up at him with wide eyes, and his hand moved further up her thigh, and she turned bright red. Lily kicked his shin as it got too high for polite company, and James chuckled, pulling his hand away. He mouthed 'later' to her, and Lily looked down at the floor, trying to cover up the fact that her skin was probably on fire all over her body.

"Let's go!" Hestia said, standing up when she had finished her breakfast. Lily nodded and stood up, as did everyone else.

"BYE!" Sirius said, hugging Hestia in the Entrance Hall, and Hestia hugged him back. Sirius leaned down and kissed her passionately, before turning to his friends, "Shall we?"

"Bye Lils," James said, walking over to her and kissing her softly. Lily smiled as he pulled back and mouthed 'later' to him, and he laughed, "You can't use my words against me,"

"Last time I checked, you didn't invent that," she pointed out, and James rolled his eyes.

"See you at five," he said, and walked by her to the Marauders, brushing his fingers against her stomach, and making her shudder.

"MARAUDERS LAST TIME TO HOGSMEADE!" Sirius yelled loudly, causing everyone, including Dumbledore, to jump. The great Hall clapped slightly and Sirius smiled his satisfaction, "Let's go!" he said happily, putting his arms around James and Remus, Peter walking on the other side of James, looking at the two Quidditch Players in a hero-worship fashion.

* * *

"What are we going to do today?" Hestia asked, throwing her arms around her best friends.

"We are not shopping," Alice said sternly, and Hestia pouted.

"How about we visit every store?" Lily said, and the girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Where do you want to start?" Alice asked, and the three girls looked at each other.

"HONEYDUKES!"

* * *

"I'm going to miss this place," Sirius sighed, looking around Zonkos joke shop.

"Me too mate, but we can always come back," James said, throwing his arm around Sirius, and Sirius grinned at him.

"We will come back," he said determinedly, and James chuckled, "When?"

"We're living in the same flat mate, we can come whenever we want," Remus said, and Sirius grinned.

"Okay, let's go," Sirius said, "Ready?" he said, and the Marauders grinned. They pulled out a bag of Zonkos products from their bags, and set all of the products that Zonkos owned together. It was madness. There were dungbombs going off everywhere, and loud noises erupting everywhere. The Marauders snickered, and winked at the storeowner, who shook his head fondly (The Marauders had been in there a lot for the past four years, they were a pranking family) and waved to the Marauders, as they left the store.

"Where do you want to go now?" Peter asked, as they all shoved their large bags of Zonkos products into their cloaks.

"Shrieking Shack?"

"Nah, it's full moon on Tuesday, we'll go then," Remus said and the boys nodded.

"Let's go to Madam Puddifoots," Sirius snorted, and all the boys wrinkled their noses, "Want to see if any girls approach us in there?" he snickered, and the Marauders grinned.

"Why not?" James chuckled, and they made their way to Madam Puddifoots, where, much to the boys happiness, a multitude of girls approached them.

* * *

"We're going to come back aren't we?" Alice asked, as the girls made their way over to the Three Broomsticks at 4:55.

"Of course we are," said Lily, "We'll come back on the Hogwarts weekends too,"

"Yes! Lily and I will Floo you," Hestia said, and the girls grimaced. It was so odd that they wouldn't be living together

"I cant believe we're not going to be living together," Lily sighed.

"I'm stuck with the Head Girl!" Hestia whined, and Lily gasped, and smacked her laughing friend on the arm.

"Maybe you should live by yourself!"

"No, I don't want to!" Hestia whined, "Alice will have Frank, Gwenog has all her Quidditch People, the Marauders have each other. YOU ARE STUCK WITH ME!" Hestia shrieked, and Lily laughed.

"I was joking"

"Crappy joke," Hestia scoffed, and Alice laughed.

"I'm going to miss you girls," Alice sniffed, and Lily and Hestia froze, "You guys are living together, and I-I have to live with a boy!" she whined, and the girls giggled.

"Well if it's such a problem," Frank scoffed, suddenly appearing behind them. He grinned down at Alice and wrapped his arms around her as she giggled.

"How was your day?" Alice asked, and he shrugged, "Good?" she giggled, and Frank laughed and nodded.

"HELLO BEAUTIFUL!" Sirius yelled, grabbing a shocked Lily from behind, "Oh and hi Hestia," he grinned, and Hestia chuckled. Sirius turned Lily around so she was facing him and held his arms out expectantly.

"I don't hug dogs," Lily said, and Sirius pouted.

"PRONGS!" he whined, looking over at James, who grinned and winked at Lily.

"Lily I'd just hug him, he wont let you go until you do," Remus chuckled, and Lily grinned. She held her arms open to Sirius, who grinned happily and pulled her in for a hug.

"YAY!" he said happily, letting go of Lily, and turning to hold his arms open to Hestia, who walked to James and hugged him. James laughed and hugged her back, as Sirius glared at Hestia. Sirius wrapped his arms around Lily, and Lily laughed as James hugged Hestia harder.

"Enough!" Remus choked through his laughter, "You're going to squeeze the life out of your girlfriends!" Sirius and James looked down at the girls and grinned apologetically, and let them go. The girls stumbled and grabbed onto their respective boyfriends for support.

"Inside?" Sirius suggested, holding onto Hestia. Hestia nodded and the eight of them made their way inside. James grabbed Lily before she could enter and pulled her out of the café.

"We'll be there in a minute!" he yelled, and Sirius rolled his eyes before making his way to the table, grinning. James grinned and dragged Lily to the little alley between the Three Broomsticks and Eyelops Emporium next door. He pushed her against the wall and stepped closer to her, putting his hands on either side of her neck, "hey," he whispered.

"Hey," Lily said in a shaky voice, looking up into his smiling eyes.

"So," he said, "last night," Lily turned bright red and smiled up at him.

"Yes?"

"I liked it," he whispered, and Lily giggled. James grinned and leaned down to kiss her. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself impossibly closer to him. James picked her up to fix the height difference, and Lily wrapped her legs around his torso to stay up, and James groaned. Lily started to laugh, and turned away from James, giggling hysterically. James chuckled huskily and moved to kiss her jaw.

"James," she said, and he groaned in response, "We can't do it here," she whispered, and James grinned into her neck. He put her down on the floor and dropped feather light kisses on her collarbone, and Lily felt her knees wobble, so she grabbed onto his shoulders tightly to keep herself from falling. James stopped kissing her and stood up to look down at her.

"Tonight?" he whispered, and Lily felt tingles on her spine, "Good," he grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. James kissed her swiftly before taking her hand and pulling her back into the Three Broomsticks.

"What took you so long?" Sirius whined, handing Lily her Butterbeer. Lily grinned at Sirius, and took the Butterbeer and sat down next to Hestia, who nudged her. Sirius passed James a Butterbeer and James grinned, before sitting down on the other side of Hestia, next to Sirius, "So," Sirius said, catching everyone's attention, "This is the last time we're going to be in Hogsmeade together, as Hogwarts students," he said and they all looked at each other sadly, "So let's make it a hell of a time," he said, raising his bottle of Firewhisky, "Hogwarts!"

"Hogwarts!" they all cheered, clinking their bottles.

* * *

"I think we should have another party before we graduate," Sirius said thoughtfully as they walked to Gryffindor Tower.

"Why not?" James shrugged, and Lily sighed.

"When?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Sure!"

"It's settled then"

"Good"

"Lily?"

"Mm?" Lily said, turning at the sound of her name. She looked over at Hestia, who had called her, and saw her with her eyebrows raised, and gulped. Hestia was going to want a play-by-play of last night.

"Let's go?"

"Fine," Lily sighed, and Hestia laughed at her friends' reluctance. James pouted and Lily smiled at him before walking over to Hestia and Alice, and going up to their old dormitory. Once the girls were gone, Sirius and Remus turned to James, and nodded towards their old dormitory. James grinned sheepishly and walked up the stairs.

* * *

"So?" Hestia asked, sitting down on Lily's bed next to Lily

"So what?" Alice asked from where she was sitting on her own bed.

"Lily had sex," Hestia said, and Lily turned red as Alice squealed.

"Really?" Alice squeaked, running over to Lily's bed.

"Yes," said Lily quietly, and her two friends squealed.

"So?"

"So _what?_" Lily asked, exasperated. Truth be told, she wanted to go back to the Heads Dorm, and James.

"How was it?"

"Do we have to?" Lily whined, and her two friends exchanged a glance.

"Yes, we do, so?"

"It was, well, great," Lily grinned, and her friends laughed.

"It is isn't it?"

"Oh right, I'm the last one," Lily said awkwardly, looking around at her friends, who giggled.

"Yes, you are," Alice said, putting her arm around Lily's shoulders.

"So, how long was it?" Hestia winked, and Lily turned bright red.

"I didn't time it!" Lily squealed, standing up, "I'm going to go now," she said, running towards the door.

"Why?"

"She's going to James," Alice said, rolling her eyes, and Hestia laughed. Lily stuck her tongue out at her friends before walking out of the dorm.

* * *

"So?" Sirius asked, slamming the door of the Marauders dormitory and turning to look at James, who was lying on his back on his bed.

"So what?" Remus asked curiously, standing next to Sirius.

"James and Lily-flower did the dirty," Sirius winked, waggling his eyebrows at James, who grinned sheepishly.

"Really?" Remus asked with wide eyes.

"Maybe," James said, extending the syllables, and grinning like a fool at Remus. Remus and Sirius chuckled and Sirius walked over to James, sitting next to him and throwing his arm over his shoulder.

"So?" Sirius asked, nudging James.

"So what?" James asked, awkwardly, running his hand through his hair.

"How was it?" Remus winked, and James turned bright red, as Sirius snickered at James' expression.

"Do we have to?" James sighed, looking at his watch, wondering how long it would be until he could see Lily.

"Yes, we do, so?" Sirius asked, gripping James tighter around his neck in a head brace and messing up his hair.

"Not the hair!" James screeched, pushing a laughing Sirius away, "It was amazing," grinned James, looking at his friends sheepishly, and they grinned back at him

"It is isn't it?" Sirius said, lying back on the bed.

"Oh right, I'm the last one," Remus sighed, sitting down on the bed, and his friends grinned at him

"Yes, you are," James said, reaching over to mess up Remus' hair.

"So, how long was it?" Sirius winked, turning to James.

"I didn't time it!" James squawked, standing up.

"So what's it like?" Remus asked curiously, looking at James and Sirius. James scratched his head before smiling.

"It's like, when you hold a broom for the first time," James started.

"Every night mate," Sirius winked, and the two boys groaned.

"Thank Merlin there's no more Quidditch," Remus murmured, burying his face in the mattress

"You have just ruined it for me," James chuckled, shaking his head, "I'm going to go now," he said, and walked towards the door.

"Why?"

"He's going to Lily The Un-flowered," Sirius said, and Remus laughed at the new nickname. James stuck his tongue out and walked out of the dorm, laughing.

* * *

James walked into the Heads dorm to find Lily sitting on the sofa, knees tucked under her chin, reading a letter. He recognized it as the letter that his mother had sent that morning. Lily didn't notice as James walked in and shut the door, so he snuck over behind her. He quickly covered her eyes with his hand and bit his lip as Lily jumped.

"Hello?" she said awkwardly, feeling at the hands on her face, "Who is it?"

"Guess," James said in a squeaky, unrecognizable voice, and he felt Lily frown underneath his hands. She brought her hands up to her face and started to feel his hands, and then James felt her relax.

"James get off my face," she chuckled, and James groaned, letting go and sitting down beside her.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked, and Lily grinned.

"I know your hands James," she said, and then blushed as she remembered the last night. James grinned and plucked his mother's letter out of her hands, throwing it onto the coffee table, before grabbing her and lying down on top of her. Lily trembled as James put one hand in her hair, and his other hand under her shirt on her waist.

"So Lily," James said, kissing her softly.

"Yes James," Lily said in a shaky voice, as James continued down her jaw and to her neck.

"You have a new nickname," he grinned, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Really?" she said, shifting backwards and attempting to sit up, but resulting in James' face at her stomach as he wouldn't let her sit up. James grabbed her waist firmly and slowly began to move her shirt up. Lily bit her lip as James' fingers traced patterns on her stomach, and put her hand on his as he began to move lower.

"Yes," he said, turning up to look at her, "By Padfoot"

"Obviously," Lily chuckled, causing her stomach to shake, and James, distracted, looked back down at her stomach. He leaned down and nipped at the sensitive skin at her ribs, and Lily jumped. He chuckled and turned up to grin at her, "What is it?"

"Lily The Un-flowered," James said, and Lily turned bright red. James grinned up at her and rolled off her, pulling her shirt down, crawling over to kneel by her head. He brushed some of her hair out of her face and smiled at her sweetly.

"What?" Lily smiled. James shook his head and Lily sighed. She sat up and made to climb over the back of the sofa, but James grabbed her arm. Lily bent the wrong way and slipped off the sofa ending up sitting on James' lap, facing him.

"That was cool," James laughed, as Lily giggled, leaning her head on James' shoulder.

"How did that happen?" Lily wheezed, looking down to see she was sitting on James' thighs as he was sitting on his ankles. James grinned at her and wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her closer to him. James moved his hands up her back and Lily's grip on his shoulders tightened, "Can I help you?" she asked, leaning back to look James in the eye. James reached up and untied her hair, and it cascaded down her back. James started to twirl the ends of her hair in his fingers where her bra hooked.

"Yes, you can," he said, pulling on the strap of her bra. Lily looked James in the eye and shook her head teasingly, "Aw come on Lils," James groaned, leaning down to kiss her collarbone. Lily bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from moaning and leaned her head back to give him more access. James put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her backwards. Lily shook her head and pushed James off her.

"Not here," she said, looking around their Common Room. James raised an eyebrow at her, and Lily shook her head, "If it was awkward when Sirius walked in when all we were doing was snogging, it's going to be worse if he walks in now," she giggled, and James grinned.

"You have a point love," James chuckled, and grabbed Lily's waist, standing up, taking Lily with him.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked, and James grinned.

"Your room?" he asked, and Lily's eyes widened, "What?" he asked, and she shook her head, "Lily"

"Well, we've never done anything in my room," she said awkwardly, and James chuckled.

"That's my point Lils"

"Yes but my room is so innocent!" she squealed, and James laughed, "What?"

"Maybe your room needs to lose its innocence as well," he chuckled, and Lily stuck her tongue out.

"Don't make fun of me," she muttered, and James grinned down at her.

"I'm not making fun of you love, I think you're adorable," he grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"James, I'm already dating you, no need to make up sweet crap," she said, and James guffawed.

"I'm not making it up," he said, burying his face in her neck.

"Oh Merlin, let's go," she said, dragging his hand and leading him up to his own room.

"Lily!"

"No, my room is going to stay innocent," she said sternly, and James chortled, and allowed Lily to drag him into his room.

"Wait Lils," he said, stopping her and pulling her towards him, "If you don't want to again, don't feel like you have to," he said, running his fingers through her hair, and Lily looked up at him.

"James, I will not do it if I don't want to," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, "And you don't have to either," she added quietly, looking up at him, and James smiled gently.

"Lily, I've waited for you since I was eleven," he chuckled, leaning his forehead against hers.

"To do this? Disturbed child," she teased, moving her fingers into his hair, and James laughed.

"No, for this, the fifteen year old boy inside me is cheering," he winked, and Lily laughed.

"Good, I don't want our beautiful babies to be perverted," she said sternly, and James grinned.

"I can't make any promises," he winked, and Lily smiled at him.

"Well, they'll be a right sight better than Sirius and Hestia's children," she shuddered, and James chortled.

"Ah those will be special children," he sighed, and leaned down to kiss Lily, "And,"

"Oh just stop talking," Lily muttered, pulling his lips back to hers.

**

* * *

Hello everybody! I'm already half way done with the next chapter so stay tuned (:**


	26. List

**Hello everybody! I hope none of you are as sick as I am at the moment. Blech. **

**lasting illusion- no you are not weird, I was planning on adding drama soon (: AND YES I am a FRIENDS fan. I swear I have every episode memorized by heart. You get brownie points for noticing :P**

**iloveharrypotter71- I cant kill Hestia off because she's in the fifth and seventh books of harry potter…in the fifth she writes an article and in the seventh she helps take the Dursley's away in the beginning (:**

**Anana53- I know right! That's probably why it scares me so much, because Disney freaked me out with it. Evil people. No I'm kidding, Disney is awesome.**

**AND ALSO, I realize I haven't done this and its very rude of me, thank all of you people who haven't reviewed, for reading the story, adding it to your favorites list and story alerts and favorite story list. It really means a lot to me (: and those of you who've added me on Author Alert and Favorite Author, there are no words to describe how happy that makes me (:**

**

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I really wish I'd had the idea first.**

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_James and Lily did IT_

_They went on their last Hogsmeade trip_

* * *

"Lily wake up!" James yelled, walking into her room. Lily grumbled and turned her head away from the sound. James walked over to the window and pulled the curtains open, letting sunshine stream into the room. Lily groaned and pulled the covers over her head, "It's morning!" James said enthusiastically, watching Lily in amusement. Lily didn't respond underneath the covers, and James sighed, "Lily! The sun is shining!" Lily huffed and James saw her turn away from him, and chuckled, "Lily wake up."

"Go away," she mumbled. James grinned and walked over to her, and pulled the covers off her head.

"Lily!" he said exasperatedly, and Lily groaned, and shoved her head underneath the pillow. James chuckled and threw the pillow off the bed.

"I'm sleeping!" Lily whined, rolling away from James to the other side of the bed. James laughed and stood up, and pulled the blanket off the bed. Lily squealed and curled into a ball to preserve heat. James walked over to where Lily was and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Lily, wake up," he said gently, and Lily peeked a bleary eye open.

"Why?" she whined, and James grinned.

"I have something special planned for today," he said earnestly, and Lily frowned at him.

"What time is it?"

"That is not relative," he said, running his hand through his hair, "Now get out of bed!" Lily grumbled, and after a lot of persuasion and ducking on James part, got out of bed, "Chop-chop!" James said, pushing Lily into the bathroom with clothes. Lily brushed her teeth, showered and dressed quickly and exited the bathroom to see James leaning against the back of the sofa in his Quidditch jersey and dark jeans, reading a piece of paper which seemed to have been ripped out of a notebook. James looked up as Lily exited the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel, and grinned, "Morning love," he said sweetly, walking over to her.

"May I ask why I was so rudely awoken?" Lily grumbled as James wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Go ahead," he winked, and Lily giggled, "There's that smile," he grinned, kissing the tip of her nose before standing up, "We have stuff to do today!" he said, and Lily sighed.

"What?"

"Remember how I promised you something before NEWTS?" he asked, pulling the piece of paper he'd been looking at out of his pocket. Lily frowned and looked at the paper, her eyes widening as she realized what it was. James grinned as Lily turned to beam at him.

"Really?" she said, skipping over to him and grabbing her 'List' that she'd made in fifth year out of his hands. James nodded and kissed Lily on top of her head.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing her hand, "shall we go in order?" he asked, gesturing to the list, and Lily nodded. He cleared his throat and looked down at it, "Number One," he said in an oddly formal voice, that made Lily giggle, "Instruct Peeves to cause havoc," he chuckled, and looked at Lily, "Are you sure _you _wrote this?"

"Yes, I'm not a good girl you know," Lily said matter-of-factly and she saw James' eyes twinkle.

"I know," he said, and Lily felt a blush creep up under her cheeks, and cleared her throat, "So what brought about number one?" he asked, as he and Lily made their way out of the dorm.

"Well, it was really boring during OWLS and I wanted something to happen," she grinned, and James laughed.

"Fair enough, now, let's go find Peeves?"

"Where is he?" Lily asked looking around at the ceiling of the castle.

"No idea, but I know someone who'd know," he grinned, "FILCH!" he yelled, and the squib down the hallway jumped, and turned around, "Where's Peeves?"

"Astronomy Tower, pointing the bleeding telescopes," Filch muttered, before running into his office. James grinned at Lily, who was laughing at Filch's reaction.

"Shall we?" James said, holding out his hand, and Lily grinned at him, taking it.

* * *

"So, what are we going to do today?" Hestia asked Sirius, walking into the Marauders dorm and sitting down on his bed. Remus and Peter were down at breakfast and had told her that James and Lily were not going to be with them that day, and that her boyfriend was still snoozing.

"Hrmphmerf," Sirius grumbled into his pillow, and Hestia chuckled.

"Hrmphmerf?" she asked, and she saw Sirius grin into his pillow, "That sounds interesting, what's that?"

"How bored are you?" Sirius muttered, turning to the side to look at Hestia whilst rubbing his eyes.

"Immensely," she said, lowering herself onto the floor by Sirius' bed and leaning her head against it, "Lily is doing something with James today, and Alice is writing wedding invitations, so it looks like you're stuck with me," she said, and Sirius laughed.

"I don't think I can ever be _stuck _with you, love," he said, stepping out of bed and stretching. He held his hand out to her and pulled her to her feet, "What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know," Hestia said, sitting on Sirius' bed, and he smiled at her.

"You want to go to the Quidditch Pitch?" he asked, and Hestia frowned at him.

"I don't play Quidditch," she sighed, shaking her head, and Sirius grinned.

"Who said we were going to play Quidditch?" he asked, holding his arms out.

"Well what else are we going to do?" she asked, exasperatedly, and Sirius laughed.

"You need some imagination my dear," he said, wrapping his arms around her, "We'll take brooms, and fly around, and then we can have a picnic, and then we can do some other stuff," he shrugged, and Hestia grinned at him.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you," she said happily, and Sirius grinned.

"I'll get ready, you wait here," he said, tapping the tip of her nose, and letting go of her to walk towards his trunk, "don't peek," he winked, drawing the curtains around his bed, and Hestia giggled.

"Sirius?"

"Yes?"

"What do you want to do with your life?" Hestia asked, lying down on Remus' bed.

"Why the sudden curiosity?" he asked, drawing the curtain of his bed, fully dressed, and walking over to Hestia.

"I was just wondering. I don't know anything about you!" she whined, sitting up, and Sirius grinned, sitting down next to her.

"I want to be an Auror," he said, lying down and resting his head on Hestia's stomach, "you?"

"I want to work for the _Prophet_," she said, and Sirius grinned.

"You'd be a great writer," he said, turning around and resting his chin on Hestia's shoulder, looking at her.

"Thank you," she grinned, sitting up slightly to look at him, "Don't let this go to your head, but you're a great wizard, so you'd be a great Auror," she said, and Sirius grinned at her.

"You think so?"

"Yes," she nodded, and leaned down to kiss Sirius. She pulled back and Sirius' face fell into a pout, causing her to laugh.

"I wasn't done!" he whined, pushing her down and lying on top of her.

"Sirius this is Remus' bed!" Hestia squealed, as Sirius moved down to kiss her neck. Sirius groaned in response, and picked her up, dropping her back down on his own bed.

"Better?" he whispered into her ear, and Hestia chuckled. Sirius grinned and got back to work.

_

* * *

1. Instruct Peeves to cause havoc_

"PEEVES!" Peeves jumped and looked down to see who had called him, and a genuine grin spread across his face as he saw who it was.

"James!" he said happily, and flew down to the Marauder, much to Lily's astonishment. James grinned at Lily's expression and turned back to Peeves.

"May I ask a favor?"

"Anything for you your Maraudership," Peeves said, taking a mock bow, and Lily had to restrain an eye roll. Of course Peeves would love the Marauders; they caused so much havoc it made Peeves seem like McGonagall. James turned towards Lily, who turned bright red. Peeves, noticing Lily for the first time, grinned evilly, "Hello Silly Lily," he said, and Lily turned to look at James, who was trying not to laugh.

"Actually, Lils here wants to instruct you to cause havoc," he said, and Peeves' eyebrows shot up.

"The ickle Head Girl wants to cause havoc?" he asked incredulously, and looked over at Lily, who grinned sheepishly, "It would be my honour Ms. Evans," he said, bowing, and Lily beamed, "What should I do?"

"I don't know actually," said Lily, frowning slightly, "Something really loud that'll irritate McGonagall," she grinned, and James guffawed.

"Who are you and what have you done with Lily Evans?" he grinned, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"This is oddly out of character," Peeves muttered, scrutinizing Lily, who grinned, "Oh well," he shrugged, before zooming up to the ceiling, "When?"

"Before graduation," James said, and Peeves bowed.

"Anything for you your Marauderships,"

"I-I'm not a Marauder," Lily stammered, as James chortled, and Peeves grinned.

"Anything for you your Maraudership and his lady," he bowed, and Lily opened her mouth, but James restrained her.

"That's as good as you're going to get Lils," he chuckled, and Lily shook her head.

"Bye Peeves," she said, and turned on her heel, and James waved at Peeves, who bowed to him, before leaving, "I cant believe Peeves loves you idiots so much," she muttered, and James grasped at his chest, feigning hurt.

"Lily!" he gasped, "How could you?"

"Oh give it a rest James," she sighed, leaning over to grab her list from him, but he plucked it out of her reach, holding it high above his head, too high for her 5"5 frame, "Potter!" she huffed, and James grinned.

"Evans!"

"Oh go away," she muttered, and he laughed, lowering the list so he could read it.

"Number two"

* * *

"Sirius I don't want to bloody fly around on a broom," Hestia huffed, as Sirius handed her a broom on the Quidditch Pitch. Sirius was using James' broom, not that he'd asked for permission, and Hestia was using his pride and joy.

"Why not?" he asked, mounting the broom. Hestia automatically followed and Sirius grinned to himself.

"Because, what if I fall?" Hestia said awkwardly, and Sirius smiled at her.

"I would catch you,"

"You swear?" she said, looking up at Sirius and he nodded, "Pinky swear?" she said, holding her pinky out, and Sirius frowned at it

"Pinky swear?" he asked, amused, and Hestia flushed.

"Just bloody pinky swear!"

"Alright, alright," Sirius chuckled, curling his pinky around hers. Hestia looked down at it and giggled, "What?"

"Your pinky is massive," she giggled.

"Why thank you," Sirius said, waggling his eyebrows, and Hestia flushed.

"EW! SIRIUS!" she whined, "YOU JUST RUINED PINKY SWEARS FOR ME," she yelled, and kicked off from the ground. Sirius laughed and kicked off from the ground, following Hestia.

"You're a great flyer," Sirius said, swerving to a stop in front of Hestia.

"I know," Hestia shrugged, and Sirius laughed, "Well, Gwenog isn't the only Jones who can fly," she grinned cheekily.

"Why didn't you play?" he asked, flying in a loop around her.

"Because, I didn't want to," she shrugged, "And I don't regret it," she grinned, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You, Hestia Margaret Jones, are a mystery I will never understand."

_

* * *

2. Swim in the Black Lake_

"No James I've already done that!" she shrieked as James pulled her out into the courtyard. The seventh years were the only ones who had no classes, as they were done with their education.

"It's on the list," James said cheekily, pulling her towards the lake.

"But I've already done that! It says things to do before graduation! It didn't specify how many times!" she shrieked, digging her heels into the ground, but having no effect on him whatsoever.

"Yes, but we're doing everything on the list today," he said happily, before reaching down to put his arm behind her knees.

"James Potter if you pick me up," Lily screamed, but James had already picked her up and was running full speed towards the lake, "JAMES!" she screamed, wrapping her arms around his neck and closing her eyes.

"Sorry Lils," James chuckled, and Lily felt her stomach swoop as he threw her. Lily closed her eyes tightly and shut her mouth tightly, bracing for the impact. When she didn't hit water, she opened her eyes and found herself levitating a few feet away from the lake. She looked over at James, who had his wand out, and was emitting a sound like a suffocating hippogriff.

"That's not funny!" she shrieked at James, whose face was the colour of puce.

"Yes…so…funny…should've seen…face," James choked out, doubled over with laughter, clutching at his stomach. Lily crossed her arms and glared at him, feeling her temper flare up; she had always had a nasty temper.

"James Potter if you don't put me down this instant," she started, and James flicked his wand, and she fell as a heap onto the soft grass. She stood up, brushed herself off, and glared at James, crossing her arms, which only resulted in James laughing even harder. Once James had calmed down, he stood up straight and looked at Lily, who was still glaring at him.

"Aw, come on Lils," he said happily, taking a few steps towards her. Lily narrowed her eyes and him and shook her head, causing James to chuckle, "You and your temper, honestly Lils, if you think about it, that was hilarious," he said, stopping a few inches away from her, and brushing her hair out of her face

"It was not," she said stubbornly, and James rolled his eyes, "It wasn't!"

"Okay, I'm sorry," said James, and Lily chuckled as he pouted.

"Fine," she sighed, and he grinned.

"Good, now," he said, clapping his hands together. He put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her. Lily screamed and fell backwards into the lake, emitting a giant splash. She kicked her way to the surface and looked around.

"JAMES POTTER!" she shrieked, and James smiled at her sweetly, noting the way she was trying to look frightening with blue lips and chattering teeth.

"You're supposed to be swimming," James said, walking towards the bank of the Black lake.

"I c-cant," Lily said through her chattering teeth, and James chuckled, before jumping into the lake. James surfaced in front of her and wrapped his arms around her torso, both of them bobbing in their attempt to stay above the water.

"It's easy, just forget about the cold," he said, and Lily gave him a sarcastic look.

"Oh, how silly of me, I'll just _forget _about it," she said, her voice drowning in sarcasm, and James chuckled, and leaned forward to kiss her. James deepened the kiss and Lily felt it all the way down in her toes.

"Now can you swim?" James whispered, and Lily giggled, "Good, go!" he said, letting go of her, and Lily squealed as she sunk a little; she hadn't realized James had been holding her up.

"Some warning would've been nice," she muttered, before leaning back so she was lying on her back. James leaned over and untied her hair, which floated all around her, "I feel like a mermaid," she giggled, shaking her head around, and James raised his eyebrows, "I meant the ones from muggle fairy tales," she clarified, and James chuckled.

"Makes more sense,"

"Does doesn't it?" she giggled, and James shook his head fondly. Lily turned around and began swimming around the Black Lake.

"LILY!" James yelled a little while later

"What?" she said, looking over at James, to see him grinning.

"Are you planning on escaping Hogwarts? Or getting frostbite?" he teased, and Lily grinned sheepishly. She swum back to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What if I escaped Hogwarts?"

"You wouldn't," James snorted, "But if you were under the Imperius Curse and did, I would follow you, or just bring you back," he chuckled, and Lily grinned.

"What if I got frostbite?"

"I would fix you," he shrugged, and Lily grinned.

"And you're making me get out of the water because?" she asked cheekily, and James laughed.

"Because we have more things to do,"

"OH!" she said happily, and James laughed, "What's next?"

"How about we dry off first?" he chuckled, and Lily grinned. The climbed out of the Black lake, Lily dried them off, before she turned to James expectantly. James grinned at her and pulled out the list, "Number Three"

* * *

Severus Snape watched from the library window as Lily and James swum in the Black Lake. He had been hiding in the library all day, not wanting to listen to the plans of the next evening, which he was sure was going to turn Lily against him even more. He smiled as Lily giggled and swum towards James Potter. Potter. Severus hated James Potter. He always had, and he always would, despite the fact that Potter had promised to look after Lily, and Potter made her happy. It didn't matter to him. He hated James Potter.

* * *

"What's that?" Hestia asked, pointing to the brown substance in one of the boxes. Sirius had actually set up a picnic for them, and the two of them were sitting on a quilt in the middle of the Quidditch Pitch.

"That is chocolate cake," Sirius said happily, and Hestia giggled.

"What's that?"

"Pumpkin Pasty,"

"That?"

"Some French pastry"

"That?"

"Chocolate moose,"

"Sirius Black did you get any actual food?" Hestia asked exasperatedly, and Sirius gasped.

"This is real food!" he said, gesturing to all the desserts, "Are you referring to the mush they make us eat before FOOD?" he asked, and Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Those foods are nutritious,"

"These foods are delicious," Sirius retorted, and Hestia snorted.

"Those foods are supposed to make you feel better," she said, and Sirius looked at her.

"No, these foods make you less stressed," he said matter-of-factly and Hestia grinned.

"How is that?"

"See, stressed, is desserts backwards," he said, and Hestia frowned, "Merlin Hest," he chuckled, and pulled out his wand. He wrote stressed in the air, and then wrote desserts. Hestia grinned and nodded, "Slow," he shook his head, and Hestia stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're not that easy to keep up with okay?" she said defensively, and Sirius barked a laugh

"_I'm _not easy to keep up with? I don't think you've met my girlfriend, Hestia Jones," he said, and Hestia laughed.

"Continue with your theory," she said, waving her hand and Sirius pouted, shaking his head.

"You hurt my feelings," he whined and Hestia shook her head. She lay down on her stomach and put her chin in her hands, and looked up at Sirius.

"Please tell me?" she said, and Sirius laughed, "What? I thought I looked interested," she grinned

"I think you look interesting," he said, and Hestia blushed.

"Just tell me your theory," she said, and Sirius brightened.

"Right! So, since stressed is desserts backwards, deserts backwardify your stress," he said, and Hestia giggled.

"Backwardify?"

"Do you mind!" he yelled, and Hestia laughed, and walked over to sit on his lap, wrapping

"Do you mind?" she said, and Sirius barked a laugh.

_

* * *

3. Use a broom closet _

"We've already done that," Lily said, stopping James, and James grinned down at her.

"But that's my favorite one!" he whined, and Lily laughed, "We are going in a broom closet and that is final," he said, stomping his foot, and Lily raised her eyebrows.

"So strict," she said, shaking her head, and James grinned

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, but not enough to go into a broom closet," she said sternly, and James pouted.

"Lily Evans, I am doing so much for you today, you can't do that for me?" he asked, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"That's cheating,"

"No its not," he said happily, and opened the door to the broom closet in the secret charms corridor, "And no one will find us here, so don't worry about it," he shrugged, and Lily sighed, "Lils, you're not going to win," he said, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fine," she said, and walked into the broom closet. James grinned happily and followed her in there, "I have rules," she squeaked, as James backed her up against the back, but James scoffed, and put his lips on hers.

* * *

"Hi Remus,"

Remus looked up quickly from the notebook he was writing in, in the Common Room and saw Tonks standing there.

"Hi," he said smiling, and Tonks grinned at him, "shouldn't you be in class?" he asked, and Tonks grinned cheekily.

"I pretended to have a broken nose," she shrugged, and Remus raised his eyebrows.

"How do you _pretend _to have a broken nose?" he chuckled, and Tonks grinned at the fact that he had not chastised her.

"I can change my appearance," she said quietly, and Remus' eyebrows rose.

"You mean you're a-"

"Yes," Tonks nodded quickly. Remus raised his eyebrows and Tonks grinned sheepishly, "Everyone in my year knows, but others don't, Dumbledore didn't really want everyone to know," she said, and Remus nodded.

"You could probably skip all of sixth and seventh year transfiguration," he snorted, and Tonks brightened.

"Really?"

"Yes, it's all on human transfiguration," he chuckled, and Tonks grinned.

"Sweet," Tonks said, and Remus laughed.

"You want to sit down?" he asked, gesturing to the sofa next to him, and Tonks nodded. She sat down on the seat next to Remus and looked over at his notebook.

"What are you doing?" she asked, looking down at it, and Remus shut the book with a snap.

"Erm, planning," he said, and Tonks grinned.

"For what?"

"Party," he shrugged.

"Another one?" Tonks laughed, and Remus grinned.

"Yeah,"

"When is it?"

"Tonight," he said, and Tonks laughed.

"Short notice, don't you think?"

"Well, we decided to have one yesterday," he said sheepishly, and Tonks laughed.

"Why aren't your friends helping?" she asked curiously, and Remus turned slightly pink.

"Well, we don't plan," he admitted, "But I usually make lists beforehand," he shrugged and Tonks giggled.

"Nerd"

"I am not!" Remus laughed, throwing a cushion at Tonks, who laughed and dodged the pillow. She laughed and stood up

"I should go back to class," she sighed, and Remus nodded, slightly disappointed, "See you later," she said, waving shyly, and Remus grinned

"Bye Tonks," he said, turning back to his list. Tonks walked out of Gryffindor Tower and skipped back to Potions. Remus chuckled and shook his head, not realizing that Tonks was the only girl he had enjoyed talking to, other than his female friends.

_

* * *

4. Run hands through IT's hair_

"Yes, so I don't understand this one," James said, looking at Lily, who turned a violent shade of red, "It's?"

"Nothing I don't need to do that anymore!" Lily squeaked, and James just looked at her. How was she supposed to tell him he was what she was referring to? His hair had always fascinated her; it was a guilty pleasure.

"Lily, we're doing everything on this list, now, what does this mean?"

"I wanted to-"

"Run your hands through it's hair, yes I got that for myself thanks," James chuckled, "What is _it_?" Lily sighed and leaned up to run her hands through James' hair

"What's next?" she asked awkwardly, and James' eyebrows shot up high.

"You wanted to run your hands through my hair?" he asked, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Oh don't let your head inflate," she muttered, and James smirked, "Yes! Fine! I wanted to run my hands through your hair!"

"You know, if you had asked, I would've let you," he winked, and Lily flushed

"I know," she said, and James grinned.

"Why it?"

"Because I couldn't refer to you as Potter on there! Then everyone would know!" she squealed, and James laughed

"Why did you want to?"

"Your hair's always fascinated me, as well as irritated me," she shrugged, and James snickered, "Oh get over it!" she yelled, smacking him in the arm, and he laughed, putting his arm around her shoulder, "What's next?"

"Number five,"

* * *

"Maria!" Maria Beckly looked up to see her friend Tonks sit down next to her.

"I thought you had a broken nose?" Maria teased, and Tonks rolled her eyes, before brightening.

"Maria,"

"Yes Tonks?"

"We have to dress up for tonight,"

"Why?"

"There's a party"

"And?"

"Its my last chance Maria!"

"Right," Maria said, scratching her head like she usually did when she was thinking, "Well, we'll just have to make you look gorgeous now wont we?"

"THANK YOU MARIA!" Tonks yelled, hugging her friend, who rolled her eyes.

"I hope this works"

"Me too"

* * *

"Where are we?" Hestia whispered; it was dark after all.

"Wait for it…"

"Sirius you are irritating me. Where are we?"

"We are on the earth"

"Very good Sirius, where on the earth are we?"

"Hogwarts"

"Progress! Where in Hogwarts are we?"

"Oh sorry I cant answer that question"

"SIRIUS BLACK!"

"I love you too"

"Sirius where am i?"

"Okay fine love, just be patient?"

"I don't do patience"

"I've noticed, now, wait a second"

"Sirius!"

"Hestia Jones you just made me mess up! For the love of Merlin…"

"Sirius!"

"Wait, and"

There was a flash and Hestia could suddenly see. She looked around in awe, her mouth, embarrassingly, hanging open, as she took in the place. It looked vaguely familiar, as if she'd seen it in a dream, "Sirius where are we?" she breathed, and Sirius grinned.

"We are on your dream date"

_

* * *

5. Meet a Unicorn_

"Haven't you met a unicorn?" James smirked

"No! Remember they couldn't find one for the class?" Lily whined, and James frowned.

"Oh right! That was the day you had a bug in your hair and I tried to get it out and you slapped me," he grinned, and Lily turned red.

"There was a bug?"

"I was telling you there was a bug!"

"I didn't believe you," she grinned, and James shook his head, "What? You'd been asking me out for years! You tried to persuade me that you were a world renowned Quidditch Player, you expect me to believe you?"

"Touché," he chuckled, and kissed Lily on the forehead, "I was a bit of a nutter," he chuckled, and Lily's eyebrows raised.

"A bit?"

"Oh shut up Lils," he said, ruffling his hair, much to Lily's amusement, "Okay, let's go find a unicorn!"

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Bloody hell Lily I'm James!" James gasped, putting his arm around her shoulder. Lily giggled and wrapped her arm around his torso.

"So where do we find unicorns?"

"The Forbidden Forest"

"I'm not going in there!" she shrieked, and James sighed. He got to the edge of the forest and looked around

"Why not?"

"Because we're two students!"

"No we're not," he grinned, and Lily frowned, "We will be one student and one wild animal"

"You're going to transform?" she hissed, and James grinned. He closed his eyes and in his place stood the magnificent stag, "Okay fine," she sighed, and followed the stupid stag into the forest. The stag stopped her and knelt down, "What?" she whined, and the eyes of the stag twinkled. It walked behind her and ducked down, scooping her up onto its back, "JAMES!" she screamed, as the stag broke into a run.

After the initial fear of falling off had worn off, Lily found herself having fun. She laughed and screamed as James pranced about, "You're very girly as a stag," she said, patting it's head, and she heard it grunt in what she could only assume was a threatening manner, "I love you too. You know, I might like you better as a stag, you're less irritating," she said, and the stag came to a stop, "And you're hair is neater," she mused, rubbing its fur, and the stag shook its body, throwing her off. Lily landed with a thud and the stag turned back into James

"What do you mean I'm less irritating?" he squawked, storming over towards Lily, who was still on the floor. Lily giggled and grinned up at James, who tried not to grin back, but failed.

"I mean you talk less"

"So you're saying my talking is irritating?" he teased, helping her up, and Lily shrugged, "LILY!"

"James shh!" she squealed, covering his mouth with her hand. James looked down at her and saw that she was looking over his shoulder. He turned around quickly, ready to protect her, and saw a unicorn and her foal.

"Go," he urged her quietly , pushing her towards the unicorns. Lily's eyes widened and she looked at him, "I cant go, they don't like males, go," he urged gently, and Lily grinned at him. She took a deep breath and approached the unicorn and foal.

"Hi," she said quietly, and held her hand out nervously. The unicorn neighed at her and, feeling better, she walked towards it. She took a deep breath before petting the unicorn, and grinned. The unicorn felt like silk. She bit her lip and slowly reached up. The unicorn didn't do anything, so she carefully placed her hand on its horn, and grinned. She began to feel the rivets and curves of the horn, marveling in the magic of it. She felt something on her knee, and looked down to see the foal sniffing at her robes. She giggled and knelt down to pet the foal.

"Lils?" she jumped and looked towards James. She had forgotten about everything, she had been absorbed with the unicorns, "We should go now," he said, looking around the forest worriedly. Lily nodded in understanding and stood up, petting the unicorn and foal goodbye, before skipping over to James and taking his outstretched hand.

"I pet a unicorn!" she whispered happily, and James smiled, taking in her bright eyes, slightly disheveled appearance, tone, and ecstatic aura.

"You pet two," he pointed out, as the courtyard started to come into view.

"I did!" she squealed, and stood in front of James, stopping him. She jumped up and put her arms around his neck, "thank you!" James laughed and hugged her back.

"Anything for you Lils"

"What's next?" she asked excitedly, letting go of James and jumping up and down.

"Aw, what a shame, there's only two left," he pouted, and Lily sighed, "Number six"

* * *

"How did you know about my dream date?" Hestia squeaked halfway through the meal, still trying to figure out how in the name of Merlin her boyfriend had pulled this off.

"Lily-flower," he shrugged, and Hestia's jaw dropped, "Don't get angry at her, I wanted to do something special before we left," he said quietly and grinned.

"I love you," Hestia squealed, leaning over to kiss him. Sirius grinned and kissed her back.

_

* * *

6. Slap Black across the face_

"Slap Black across the face, Merlin Lily," he chuckled, looking up into Lily's laughing face, "What was this for?"

"He wouldn't shut up and I was trying to study," Lily recalled, holding on to James' shoulder as she laughed.

"Okay, shall we?" he asked, offering her his elbow, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Really?" she laughed, and James nodded.

"It's on the list," he shrugged, and Lily grinned at him.

"He's your best mate"

"All the more reason," he winked, and pulled the Marauders Map out of his pocket, "He's in the dorm," he said, and led a laughing Lily to Gryffindor Tower. They walked in to see Remus sitting by himself on the sofa, "MOONY!"

"Hi Prongs," Remus chuckled, after gathering himself from the initial shock.

"Have you seen Padfoot?"

"He and Hestia went on that special date of theirs," Remus said, rolling his eyes, and James grinned.

"Okay I know where they are," he said, holding his arm out, and Lily's eyes widened

"I'm not going to interrupt!" she squealed, and James sighed.

"Lily!" Lily jumped as she heard a squeal behind her. She turned around to see Hestia sprinting towards her. Lily braced herself for impact, and surely enough, Hestia slammed into Lily without slowing down, "Lily I had my dream date!" she squealed, and Lily grinned.

"Thanks flower," Sirius said from behind Hestia, and Lily winked at him

"YOU DID THIS!" Hestia shrieked, and Lily winced as she felt her eardrums strain.

"You think he could do it by himself?" Lily asked, exasperated, and Hestia giggled.

"I. Love. You."

"I know," Lily grinned, before turning to James, who nodded towards Sirius, "Really?" she whispered, and James nodded quickly.

"If you dare"

"If she dares what?" Remus asked, and James handed him the list.

"Number six," he said, and Remus scanned down the list, and snickered.

"Go ahead," Remus shrugged, leaning back, and James guffawed.

"If you dare," James repeated, crossing his arms, and Lily huffed. She straightened her shoulders and walked towards isrius.

"What?" Sirius asked nervously, as Lily stopped in front of him. Before he knew it, Lily had raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face, "BLOODY HELL!" he shrieked, falling over onto a chair behind him as James and Remus laughed.

"What was that for?" Hestia asked, half amused and half irritated.

"The list," Lily said, and Hestia laughed.

"You're actually doing that?"

"Well I think she should," James shrugged, and Hestia smiled at him.

"She's lucky to have you," she grinned, and turned back to Sirius, "Get up,"

"She just slapped me across the face!" Sirius whined, and Hestia shrugged, "HESTIA!"

"I love you," she said, grabbing Sirius' hand and pulling him up, "Room of Requirement?" she whispered, and Sirius' eyes widened.

"It would be my honour," he winked, before grabbing Hestia's hand, and with a nasty glance at Lily, walking out of the dorm.

"I didn't think you had it in you," James chuckled, looking down at Lily admiringly

"Me either," Lily grinned, "What's next?" he asked excitedly, and James looked at Remus.

"Number seven"

"Oh it's the last one," James sighed, and Lily felt her stomach drop, but Remus grinned.

"It'll take a while, Number seven"

* * *

"Maria what colour?"

"Tonks you look good in all colours," Maria said boredly from the other side of the second years girls dormitory, "Plus, the party isn't for 4 hours!"

"What colour?" Tonks repeated, looking down at three dresses

"Bloody hell Tonks," Maria muttered, getting up and walking over to look at the dresses, "Hot pink definitely," Maria said, and Tonks grinned.

"If this works, that will be my favorite colour," Tonks declared, and Maria grinned.

"You mean when it works?"

"Obviously," Tonks grinned, before turning to the mirror. She squinted her eyes and felt the odd sensation of her face transforming

"Tonks what are you doing?"

"My nose is huge." Maria rolled her eyes and got back to her book.

_

* * *

7. Find all the secret exits out of Hogwarts_

"You shouldn't underestimate me James Potter," she said in response to James' amused expression, and James chuckled

"Why are you so excited?" he asked, kissing her on the tip of her nose.

"It's _my _list," she said, putting her hands on her hips, and James grinned down at her, reminded of the way his mother stood.

"Okay Lils, so," he said, clearing his throat, and pulling the list out, "Number seven," he said in the oddly formal voice he'd used before, and Lily giggled, "Find all the secret exits of Hogwarts," James shook his head, unable to connect the Lily he knew to the Lily who wrote this list, "Good thing you're dating a Marauder then," he winked, and Lily grinned.

"Do you know _every _exit?" she asked, and James rolled his eyes.

"Really Lily, I'm insulted," he scoffed, and twined his fingers through hers, "Where to first?"

"I don't know," she said awkwardly.

"Well, do you just want to see the secret exit, or go out through it?"

"Both!" Lily squealed, and James' eyebrows shot up, "I'm curious?" she said quietly, and he laughed, and leaned down to kiss her.

"Okay, we'll go to Honeydukes first."

"James we've been down this one," Lily sighed, as she walked into the tunnel once more.

"We're doing this again," James said, sitting down and pulling Lily on top of him. He pointed his wand at the floor, which turned into a slide, and the two of them raced down to see who would get to Honeydukes first. They reached the cellar and Lily grinned, looking around. James walked over to a box and pocketed a candy

"James!"

"What? Nobody will notice," he said cheekily. Before Lily could yell at him, however, he pointed his wand to the floor and they made their way back to Hogwarts, "Oh well I cant put it back now," he said as they exited and Lily rolled her eyes

"Give me one," she said, and James laughed, "I will not kill you if you give me one," she said, and James grinned, shoving a candy in her mouth, "much better," she grinned, "Where's the next exit?"

"Lily, I'm not going to show you all of them, only the best two," he said, and Lily shrugged, "Is that alright?"

"Yes," she grinned, and James smiled, "May I ask why?"

"I can't give you _all_ the Marauder secrets," he winked, and Lily laughed, "Also, the party is in two hours and I'm assuming Hestia's going to steal you to get ready?"

"You assume correctly," Lily said in a dark voice, and James guffawed. They made their way out and Lily felt nervous as she spotted the Whomping Willow, "Where are we going?" she asked nervously, and James shrugged.

"This is my favorite passageway," he said, gesturing to the Whomping Willow, "It leads to the Shrieking Shack where Moony goes to,"

"Yes I know," Lily said, shuddering as she remembered the night she and James broke up, "how do you get in?"

"You have to press a knot on the tree," he said, raising his wand and instructing a stick to push the knot. Lily watched the tree freeze and allowed James to drag her to the little tunnel underneath, "After you," he said, gesturing to the tunnel, and Lily grinned, before crawling in. The tunnel was small, so Lily found herself crawling the whole way, "Great view from back here," James said, and Lily shrieked, kicking him. James chuckled and the two of them continued to crawl. They finally made it into the Shrieking Shack and Lily looked around at the bitten furniture and scratched walls, and shuddered.

"It's creepy in here," she said, and James chuckled.

"It is," he said fondly, and Lily grinned at him

"You boys really do enjoy full moons don't you?" she said, wrapping her arms around James neck, and James grinned down at her.

"We really do"

"We should probably go," Lily said, looking down at James' watch, "Party is in an hour and a half, and you need to help get the, erm, goods," she said, and James grinned.

"I knew I loved you"

"Oh James," she said, stopping him as James made his way to the tunnel, "Thank you," she smiled, and James grinned.

"Anything for you love,"

* * *

**Hey guys! hope you like the chapter. as you can probably guess, the next chapters going to be on the party, so keep checking! **


	27. Me, You, and the Dancefloor

**Hello everybody! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, they made me smile like reviews usually do. I think the previous chapter had the most reviews out of all the chapters so THANK YOU (: haha**

**Anana53- I don't actually know which Disney movie is my favorite to be honest. I love all the princess ones…except Snow White because I never actually considered her a princess, and her voice was too high (: and 101 Dalmatians…AND the hunchback. Gah, no, I cannot choose, c'est impossible.**

**Aria657- Well, Hestia Jones is an actual character in the HP books, so I can't kill her off. I don't want to give anything away though…hehe**

**LastWhiteRose- Yes, I did make up Maria. I just needed a character that could be with Tonks so we'd know more about her (:**

**

* * *

Disclaimer- Yeah, I still don't own Harry Potter**

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_Marauders are going to have a final party. James helps Lily complete her list. Tonks and Remus talk. Sirius takes Hestia on her dream date._

* * *

"Ready?" Hestia asked Lily, looking at herself in the full-length mirror in the dormitory. Lily nodded and walked over to the mirror, looking at herself.

"This okay?"

"You look fabulous!" Hestia squealed, putting her arm around Lily, "How do I look?"

"Hestia Jones, are you fishing for compliments?" Alice chuckled as she put her shoes on. Lily laughed and Hestia stuck her tongue out at Alice.

"Hestia you look great," Lily chuckled, and Hestia grinned at her friend.

"Are you ready for the last party?" Hestia said, and the three girls sighed. How had the seven years gone by so quickly?

"No," Alice grumbled, as Hestia threw her a pair of stilettos, not approving of her previous choice of flats.

"Alice, it's the last party, might as well look absolutely gorgeous,"

"How do shoes have an effect on how gorgeous I look?" Alice whined, and Hestia gasped, dropping her jaw.

"The overall effect," Lily said for Hestia, and Hestia grinned at her.

"I have taught you well Lily Evans," she said gleefully, and Lily rolled her eyes. Hestia looked down at Lily's feet and nodded her satisfaction, and Lily let out a relieved sigh. She had decided to wear strappy shoes with a small heel, so she could both impress Hestia and be comfortable, "Shall we?" Hestia asked, holding her arms out to her friends, who shook their heads fondly, and linked their elbows together, putting Hestia in the middle.

"Now how do we do this?" Lily giggled, as the girls got to the stairs, where they couldn't go down in a row due to the narrowness of the hallway. Lily began to untwine her elbow from Hestia's, but Hestia let out a shriek of indignation.

"No way Lily Evans, we are going to enter the last party _together," _Hestia said, with an air of finality, and Lily sighed. She pulled out her wand and extended the hallway, causing Hestia to grin, "What would I do without you?"

"Fail?" Alice suggested cheekily, and Hestia snorted. The girls walked down the stairs, narrowing the hallway, and found themselves in the crowded Gryffindor Common Room, "I'm going to miss this," Alice sighed, looking around happily.

"Shall we?" Frank said, coming out from nowhere, holding his hands out to Alice. Alice grinned at him and took his hands.

"Bye!" she squealed to her friends, who waved at her.

"Now Lily-petal," Hestia said, and Lily grinned, "Our boyfriends are most likely going to be together, shall we go find them?"

"Or we could wait for them to find us, it's a lot more gentlemanly," Lily said seriously, and Hestia nodded.

"That is true. Maybe we should be feminists tonight. No boys," Hestia declared, and Lily pouted, "You and your bloody love," Hestia grumbled, and Lily grinned.

"What about you and your bloody love?"

"Totally different," said Hestia, blushing cheekily, and Lily giggled.

"How may I ask?"

"I don't get irritated by it"

"Of course how silly of me," Lily laughed, leaning on her best friends shoulder. Hestia was only a couple inches taller than Lily, so Lily felt comfortable leaning on her.

"I thought you were the smart one," Hestia snorted, and Lily grinned.

"I'm going to miss you Hestia Jones," Lily said, feeling her eyes glaze, and Hestia looked at her, bewildered.

"We're living together though aren't we?" Hestia squealed, and Lily laughed.

"Yes"

"Then why in the name of Merlin would you say that?" she yelled, and Lily bit her cheek, trying not to laugh.

"I was just saying, I'm going to miss you. I'm not going to see you until we actually look for an apartment later," Lily sighed, and Hestia looked down at the floor, "And then we wont be together all the time, I'll have my crazy hours at Auror training and you'll be at _The Prophet," _Lily said, her voice starting to get choked, and Hestia clapped her hand delicately over Lily's mouth.

"Shut up," Hestia advised, and Lily laughed, "we will do all this emotional, let's make Hestia cry, stuff after graduation, agreed?" Hestia said, and Lily nodded obediently, "So, Auror?" Hestia grinned, and Lily nodded happily, "So you've _finally _chosen," Hestia chuckled, and Lily stuck her tongue out at her best friend, "Good girl, now, shall we dance?" Hestia offered, and Lily nodded happily. The girls walked onto the dance floor together and began to move to the music.

"_There _you are," Sirius said exasperatedly, as he and James found their girlfriends laughing and dancing together.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" James said, looking at the two girls sternly, and the girls snorted.

"Isn't that how its supposed to be?" Hestia asked, turning to Lily, who grinned cheekily at the boys.

"Well it is very gentlemanly for a boy to come find the girl,"

"Were they complaining about it?"

"I believe so,"

"Shameful," said Hestia, making tutting noises, shaking her head at the amused boyfriends.

"My sincerest apologies," Sirius said, bowing down to the girls.

"Yes, deep apologies from the heart," James said, pretending to take a hat off to the girls, and the girls laughed.

"Do we forgive them?" Hestia asked, and Lily nodded, "Yay!" Hestia said happily, throwing herself into Sirius' arms, "See you later Lily-petal!"

"Lily-_petal?_" Sirius said, looking over at Lily, who groaned, "Maybe I should call you that now," he grinned, and Lily turned to look at James pleadingly, only to have him grin at her. Sirius twirled Hestia away and James took a few steps over to Lily, holding his hand out to her.

"Lily Evans, will you do me the honour of dancing with me?" James asked, and Lily grinned, taking his hand. James smiled and pulled Lily closer to him as, right on cue, a slow song started.

"Why, Mr. Potter, I think you planned this," she said, referring to the music, and James grinned.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Well, that is what you're called," she said, and James chortled, removing his hands from her hips and untwining her arms from around his neck, playing with her fingers. The couple stopped moving and Lily looked down at James' hands, watching as he played with her fingers.

"Lily," James said, and she looked up at him to see him looking vulnerable.

"Yes James?"

"We're going to be okay right? After Hogwarts?" he asked nervously, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"I was just asking," he chuckled, and Lily grinned.

"Yes," she said, and James grinned down at her jubilantly.

"Good," he said happily, "And may I please say that you look wonderful," he grinned, looking down at her outfit. Lily had decided to wear a black, strapless dress, that stopped at her mid thigh, with James' locket dangling on her neck.

"Because it's black?" she grinned

"Don't forget revealing," James chuckled, and Lily flushed, still looking up at him.

"So black and revealing then?" she asked cheekily.

"Yes, you should probably wear that on our wedding or something," he said in a mock serious tone, and Lily laughed.

"Or she could wear that," Sirius said, nodding towards the stairs of the girls dormitory. They turned to see a girl walking down the stairs nervously, dressed in hot pink, "I think we asked out the wrong girls mate," Sirius chuckled, nudging James, who grinned.

"Oh Merlin," Hestia said, walking over to Lily, "Lily I want that dress."

"Oh Merlin Hestia," Lily squealed, causing Hestia, James and Sirius to look at her, "That's Tonks!" Hestia grinned broadly and looked around.

"Sirius, where's Remus?" Hestia hissed, and the boys' eyebrows rose.

"He's over there," Sirius said, pointing towards the fireplaces, and Lily turned to look at him.

"Go get him!"

"Why?" James asked, bewildered.

"Just do it," the girls said together, and turned back to look at Tonks as the boys went to fetch Remus. Tonks looked around, and spotted Lily and Hestia. She smiled at them nervously, and the best friends gave her friendly encouraging smiles. Tonks took a deep breath and walked over to Remus' two best female friends.

"Hi," Tonks squeaked.

"You look amazing!" Hestia squealed, jumping up and down, and Lily turned to look at her best friend, "What?"

"Hestia, don't _scare _her!" Lily said, gesturing to Tonks, who laughed.

"I wasn't _scaring _her!"

"On purpose," Lily muttered, and turned back to Tonks, "You do look great though," Lily smiled, and Tonks grinned.

"Thanks. I can't breathe!" Tonks whispered, and Lily giggled. She pulled her wand out and pointed it at Tonks dress. Tonks took a deep breath and looked down, to see her dress looking exactly the same, "What did you do?"

"Undetectable Extension Charm," Lily shrugged, "Nobody knows it works on dresses. This way you don't have to suck in your stomach and you still look skinny," Lily laughed, and Hestia grinned.

"I _have _taught you well!" Hestia said gleefully, and Tonks giggled. Lily shook her head and put her wand back where it had been, tucking it down the neckline of her dress.

"Have you seen Remus?" Tonks asked, looking around, and the seventh years turned to grin at each other.

"He's on his way here," Hestia said, looking over and spotting James, Sirius and Remus making their way over to them. Tonks face drained and she looked at the girls frightfully.

"Take a deep breath Tonks. You look fantastic," Lily assured her, and Tonks smiled slightly, taking deeper breaths. The boys made it over and Lily saw Remus do a double take at Tonks, before turning slightly pink, and grinned, "Act normal," she muttered, to Tonks, who nodded obediently.

"Hey Remus," Hestia said in a carefree tone, and Lily wondered how her best friend managed to act as if nothing had happened.

"Er, hey," he said awkwardly, and Lily saw James and Sirius snicker. She glared at them pointedly and Sirius winked at her.

"So Tonks," Hestia said, turning to Tonks, and Lily had to restrain the urge to roll her eyes; stupid Hestia was so obvious. Luckilly, however, Remus didn't catch on.

"Yes," Tonks said, smiling at Hestia, and Hestia giggled, turning to Lily for help.

"How's second year?" Sirius said awkwardly, and Hestia sent her boyfriend a grateful grin.

"It's horrible," Tonks grumbled, reaching up to touch her hair, but thought better of it as Hestia and Lily narrowed their eyes at her, and covered up by itching her nose.

"Why?" Remus asked, finding himself genuinely curios.

"I hate bloody mandrakes," she said, and Remus grinned, "They're fat, and ugly, and noisy," she said, counting them off on her fingers, and Remus laughed.

Lily walked over to James conspicuously and wrapped her arms around his neck, getting on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. James grinned and nodded, trying to hide his pounding heart, and suddenly, there was a slow song playing. James nudged Sirius, who jumped, and then, understanding dawning on his expression, turned to Hestia.

"Hestia my love will you dance with me?" he asked, offering her his hand, and Hestia giggled, taking it.

"Lils?" James asked, and Lily nodded, and with a swift wink to Tonks, allowed James to drag her away from the two. Remus and Tonks stood there, slightly awkwardly, looking at the floor.

"So, you want to dance?" Remus shrugged, and Tonks bit her lip to hide a grin.

"I don't know you're so much taller than me," she said, narrowing her eyes at him accusingly, and Remus beamed.

"Well I apologize for my genetics," he chuckled, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'd love to," Tonks said, and Remus frowned down at her, "Dance with you," she added, and Remus flushed, but smiled all the same.

"Great," he said and Tonks smiled. Remus held his hand out to her and Tonks took it, trying to ignore the way jinxes seemed to be shooting up her arm, in a good way. Remus put his hands on her hips, and Tonks put her hands on his shoulders, the two of them standing an arms length away from each other. Tonks looked across the Gryffindor Common Room to see Maria jump up and down happily, and give her the thumbs up, before allowing a boy, who Tonks didn't know, to drag her onto the dance floor.

"So, how are you?" Tonks asked, breaking the silence, and Remus chuckled.

"Not much has changed since this afternoon," he said, and Tonks turned slightly pink.

"I'm sorry I was just triggering polite conversation," she snorted, and Remus guffawed.

"My deepest apologies for foiling your attempts,"

"What do you mean attempts? It started conversation now didn't it?"

"Yes, but it's not _polite _conversation"

"Well whose fault is that?"

"Why are you inflicting that it's my fault?"

"Because it is!"

"It is not!"

"Yes it is, the conversation would have been perfectly polite had you answered the question"

"I prefer this conversation though," Remus said, not realizing that he and Tonks had stopped dancing, and were standing only a couple inches away from each other

"That's besides the point"

"What is the point?"

"There's no point!"

"Then why did you say it's 'besides the point'?"

"It's a common phrase!" Tonks said, crossing her arms and jumping as she realized the action caused her arms to graze Remus' stomach. Remus, realizing the same thing, looked down at his stomach where Tonks had touched him, and looked back up at Tonks's face, and felt his stomach flip. _Bloody Hell._

Tonks looked into Remus' eyes and watched as they slowly started coming closer to her and slowly rose towards them.

"James!" Lily whispered, nudging James, and pointing over to Remus and Tonks. James looked over and grinned before looking down at her.

"Good job," he winked, and Lily giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Oh no," James muttered, and Lily turned quickly.

Remus stood up quickly and looked around, then looked down at Tonks, "I'm sorry," he said earnestly, before running up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Tonks looked after him and then jumped as Sirius, James, Hestia and Lily appeared next to her.

"What happened?" James asked concernedly, looking at Tonks and then towards the staircase leading up to the boys' dormitory. Tonks shrugged, looking extremely hurt. Lily nudged Hestia, and nodded towards Tonks, before walking up the stairs, followed by James and Sirius.

"Be nice Lily-flower," Sirius said, and Lily gasped, turning around to gape at him.

"As opposed to what?"

"A redhead," Sirius shrugged cheekily, and Lily chuckled, before turning around and continuing up the stairs. Sirius grinned at James, who rolled his eyes and continued to walk up the stairs, amused, "MOONY!" Sirius sung, bursting into the dormitory, and Lily turned to glare at him, "What?" he asked innocently, and Lily turned to look at James, who was grinning at his best friends lack of tact.

"You need more tact mate," James said, clapping Sirius on the shoulder, and Sirius' jaw dropped.

"Bloody hippogriffs I need more tact!"

"Bloody hippogriffs?"

"Yes, bloody hippogriffs,"

Lily shook her head as the two boys begun to bicker and walked to Remus' bed where the curtains were drawn. She slowly drew the curtains aside and walked in, closing them behind her, sitting down next to Remus, who was hiding his face in his hands. She cautiously put her arm around his shoulder, and felt Remus jump, "You cant tell me you didn't know we were here!" she hissed, and Remus's eyebrows rose as he realized there was bickering.

"Prongsie!"

"No"

"But seriously!"

"You are Sirius."

Remus snorted as the two boys started to laugh uncontrollably and looked at Lily, "I didn't hear to be honest, how I missed it I will never know,"

"Must be all those years of ignoring them," she smiled, and Remus chuckled, nodding, "What's wrong?" she asked quietly, and Remus dropped his head into his hands again.

"I feel so bad!"

"Why?" Lily asked, shocked.

"Because I almost kissed her!"

"Why is that a bad thing?" Sirius yelled, attempting to make it through the curtains. Somehow, Sirius wound up tangled in them, resulting in what looked like a cocoon with legs, "PRONGS HELP!"

James walked over and took one look at his friend, before bursting into laughter, along with Lily and Remus.

"PRONGS THAT ISNT HELPING! I CANT BREATHE!" Sirius whined, and Lily sighed, pointing her wand at the maroon cocoon, which came undone, "Thank you Lily, my love. Only you care about me," he sniffed, glaring at his two best mates, and Lily shook her head.

"I don't want Hestia to kill me," she clarified, and Sirius' eyes widened as the other two continued laughing.

"At least _she _cares for me," he said proudly, sticking his tongue out at the three of them, before turning to Remus, "So why is that a bad thing?" Remus flushed slightly and started to play with his sock, which had balloons flying around them.

"Because, she's 12," he murmured, and Lily looked at him sympathetically, "And I'm 17. I don't want to do that to her."

"You realize, when she's 20, and you're 25, nobody will care right?" James said gently, looking at Remus, who shook his head.

"Yes I know I've heard that before. But that doesn't change the fact that there is a lot of difference between her being 12 and her being 20! And our age difference right now, has more effect on our maturity level distance. And…" Remus stopped, ruffling his hair, and Lily groaned.

"Do _all _you boys do that to your hair? No wonder I've picked it up," she muttered, and the boys laughed.

"Blame Prongs, we picked it up from him," Sirius said, glaring at James fondly, and James shrugged, grinning, "Anyway, and?" he said, turning back to Remus, who looked down nervously.

"I don't want her to have to get involved with a werewolf," he said, and the other three looked at each other, before looking at him.

"Remus…"

"No! Don't tell me it doesn't matter! Don't tell me its not dangerous! It is bloody dangerous! And it does matter! Nobody wants to hire me because of that bloody furry little problem, what makes you think someone will date me with it?" he said dejectedly.

"Maybe we should just kill the damn bunny," James said matter-of-factly, and Lily watched as the three boys cried with laughter. When they had calmed down considerably, Lily grinned at James, who winked at her.

"Anyway. Alright, if she wants to date me, that's great. It really is. But the thing is, I don't want her to date me"

"So you don't like her?"

"No! No that's not it, I do, I really do," Remus said quietly, grabbing his hair in frustration, "But,"

"It's alright," Lily said soothingly, taking Remus' hand in hers, ignoring James' eyes on that, and rubbing soothing circles on it, "Remus, it's your choice. But I just want to tell you, there's a girl down there, who would date you no matter what, and who really likes you, and you like her back. Maybe you're not making the right decision," Lily said, and Remus turned to look at her.

"What should I do?"

"Go talk to her mate," James said, grabbing Remus' hand and pulling him off the bed.

"THIS NEVER HAPPENED!" Sirius declared, clapping his hands, and the three of them turned to him with bewildered eyes.

"Why ever not?" Lily asked, and Sirius rolled his eyes at James, who looked just as confused.

"Because, firstly, Marauders do not do worry about girls," he said, and Lily snorted, ignoring the glares from the three boys in the room.

"What? So you're saying you never panic about Hestia, James never _ever _fretted about me, and Remus isn't worried about this?" she challenged, and the three boys looked at each other.

"Rephrase, nobody _knows _Marauders worry about girls," Sirius said, and Lily grinned, "AND, if this didn't happen, I didn't get tangled in the curtain," he declared, and the three of them snorted, "I DID NOT GET TANGLED IT WAS TRYING TO EAT ME!"

"I'm sure it was," Remus grinned, putting his arm around Sirius shoulder.

"It's jealous of my hair!"

"Yes, I know," Remus said, turning around to roll his eyes at the other giggling two, before leading Sirius out of the dorm. James grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her to him, smiling down at her.

"Yes?" she said, smiling up at him, and James chuckled.

"Hello love,"

"Hello James,"

"I just wanted to tell you something," he said, and Lily smiled and nodded, "I don't want you to wear black and revealing at our wedding," he admitted, and Lily laughed, "that is, if we get married"

"Of course," Lily nodded, mock seriously, and James grinned, "And may I ask why not?"

"I don't want anyone to object," he winked, and Lily laughed. He held his hand out to her and Lily took it, "Shall we go spy on Moony?"

"We shall," Lily declared, walking down the stairs with James. They walked down to see Sirius and Hestia talking right at the bottom of the stairs, "Where are Remus and Tonks?"

"Remus and Tonks, that has such a nice ring to it," Hestia squealed, and Lily chuckled.

"It does," she nodded, and Hestia grinned, "Now where are they?"

"They went to talk," Hestia said, pointing towards the portrait hole, where Lily managed to catch a glimpse of Remus and Tonks leaving.

* * *

"Hey," Remus said awkwardly, standing just outside the portrait hole.

"Hello lovely," the fat lady said, batting her eyelashes at Remus, and Tonks narrowed her eyes at the portrait.

"Still not interested," Remus chuckled, looking at the portrait, who sighed.

"Skinny girls get all the luck," she mumbled, and Remus grinned, taking Tonks' hand and dragging her away from the portrait.

"Much better," he muttered, and Tonks giggled. He looked up and met her eyes, and felt his stomach flip. _How _had this happened?

"Can I ask what happened?" Tonks said nervously, and Remus bit his lip.

"Tonks you're 12"

"I know?" she said, and Remus laughed.

"I meant, you're only 12. I'm 17, it wouldn't have been right," he said earnestly, and Tonks laughed, "What?"

"I thought my nose was too big or something," she laughed, and Remus shook his head.

"I like your nose," he chuckled, and Tonks grinned.

"Thanks I worked really hard on it," she said, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"You girls," he sighed, shaking his head exasperatedly, and Tonks continued to grin.

"So its because of the age thing?"

"Yes," he said, and saw Tonks's shoulders droop slightly, "But I do like you," he said, and Tonks brightened.

"You do?"

"Yes," he said earnestly, nodding, and she grinned.

"Good, I like you too," she said, looking up into his eyes. Remus looked back into her eyes.

"There's something else too," he blurted out, and then clapped his hand over his mouth, and Tonks raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"Well,"

"My nose _is _huge isn't it?" she asked, her eyes filling up with tears

"No you silly girl," Remus chuckled, wiping her eyes with his thumbs, and Tonks felt her heart thud at the contact.

"What is it?"

"I…I…I'm…" he said, looking down at her uncertainly, and Tonks shook her head.

"Don't tell me then," she teased, taking his hand and dragging him into the Common Room, and Remus laughed.

"I love you," he chuckled, and then froze as he realized what he had said, and as Tonks stopped walking, turning around to face him with large eyes.

**

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Hey guys! Sorry there was a long break in updating. My deepest apologies. I'll try and be faster, but schools started now so it won't be as fast. But don't worry, I'm not going to forget about my story like lots of people do. HELLO to all the new readers! I woke up this morning after not checking my email since I updated and I found I had 103 emails from fanfic. I love you guys (: haha**


	28. The Marauders and The Marauderettes

**Hello! Enjoy the chapter. There's only 2 chapters left in this story, sadly, resulting in 30 chapters, but don't worry, I have decided to **_**definitely **_**pursue the sequel, so it's not over, but this particular one is. **

**Melody 106- HEHE I was going to have Tonks say exactly that, but, I decided against it :P**

**Looney3- don't thank me it was really my pleasure (:**

**Soccergal18- I got it to you in time :D haha. Have fun on your snow day. And he did spit out I love you by accident.**

**J.L Keating- Yes I had to leave it at a cliffhanger! It's like you don't know me ;)**

**ClaraMay- I know it seems a bit strange, but I kind of wanted to portray them as meant to be, sort of. And Remus has liked her subconsciously for a while. I tried to capture some of that confusion about the short time in THIS chapter, so I hope that clarifies a bit (:**

**Anana53- haha it is a GREAT movie. I actually liked the second one with the circus as well (: it was cute**

**HAPPY FANFICTIONING!**

**

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Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER STOP ASKING ME**

_**

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Previously:**_

"_Don't tell me then," she teased, taking his hand and dragging him into the Common Room, and Remus laughed._

"_I love you," he chuckled, and then froze as he realized what he had said, and as Tonks stopped walking, turning around to face him with large eyes. _

_

* * *

I. Am. An. Idiot. _Remus yelled at himself, inside his head, as he looked into Tonks's face. She looked confused, scared and extremely gleeful at the same time, impossibly enough. What was it about her that was getting to him so much? It was irritating. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about how it was such a coincidence that she had walked over to them when he had asked Lily who would want to date a werewolf. He had been smiling ever since they had spent time that afternoon, even if it had only been for a few minutes. And he had had so much fun dancing with her, and bickering with her. _How am I such a sap? Isn't falling in love supposed to be, dramatic? Complicated? A long process? _

"Remus," Tonks breathed, and Remus shook his head quickly, placing his hand on her mouth.

"It slipped out?" he said weakly, and he could see Tonks grinning up at him through her eyes. He could see the cheeky retort her brain was cooking up and smiled to himself. _Or can it just click, like this? _

"I'm sure it did," Tonks said, nodding seriously, and Remus grinned, grateful that she hadn't pushed on what he claimed to have accidentally slipped out.

"It did, I swear," he said, placing his hand on his heart, "Marauders honour"

"I may be a second year, but I'm not stupid enough to fall for that," she said, rolling her eyes and Remus gasped.

"Marauders honour is a legitimate thing to swear on," he argued, as he and Tonks began to, slowly, make their way to Gryffindor Tower. Tonks looked up at him skeptically, "It is!" he insisted. Tonks looked to ruffled hair, to extremely honest and earnest eyes, and wanted to cry internally, but smiled.

"Okay, I believe you," she said genuinely, and Remus smiled smugly.

"That's because I'm always right, get used to it," he said, and then bit his lip as he realized what he'd implied. He felt his stomach drop as he realized, that in the future, as it would never happen now, she wouldn't be able to be with him. He wouldn't let her. They weren't going to get married, or have a kid, or die together. This would just be forgotten.

"I will," Tonks said quietly, looking down at the floor, and Remus shook his head.

"No," he said, and saw Tonks's head snap up and he ended up looking in her eyes.

"No?"

"No," he repeated, shaking his head, and Tonks's eyes narrowed.

"And why is that?"

"Because!"

"Because what?"

"I'm not good for you!"

"What do you mean you're not good for me? I think I know what's bloody good for me!"

"I'm not it!" Remus yelled, frustrated that she wouldn't listen, upset that he wasn't good enough for her, and furious that she was going to end up with someone else. He had finally found someone, and he didn't want her because of his condition. He didn't want to ruin everything for her. _Poor James, _he thought randomly, remembering how James had always been depressed about Lily. He had never fully understood.

"How do you bloody know? You can't say that because you've never tried being it for me!" Tonks screeched, clenching her hands into fists and stomping her foot, tears glazing her eyes.

"And I'm never going to Tonks! It's not okay for _you! _Believe me, I want to," he said, saying the last part quietly, as he looked down into Tonks's eyes. Tonks looked up at him, scrutinizing him, and felt her heart melt as she realized he actually did want to, and wasn't just trying to let her down easy. She saw a deep sadness in his eyes, and frowned slightly.

"Then take the risk," she said, "What's life without risks! You're a bloody Marauder I thought you would've thought the same thing," she grinned, and Remus cracked a smile.

"Shame on me," he muttered, shaking his head, and Tonks giggled, "I cant take that risk Tonks, I don't want anything to happen to you," he said, and Tonks sighed.

"Remus if it's about your problem I don't care," she said, and Remus looked up at her, shocked, "I eavesdrop," she shrugged.

"You know about my, erm, furry little problem?" he asked, and to his surprise, Tonks burst into laughter.

"What some deranged Guinea pig? No I know about your, monthly problem," she said, and Remus grinned.

"That's the furry little problem."

"Who the bloody hell decided to call it that?" she snorted, and Remus grinned.

"James,"

"Of course," she grinned, and then looked up at him, "And I really don't care"

"Tonks you're 12, you don't understand the…the…the repercussions of dating a…someone like me," he said, and Tonks glared up at him.

"I may be 12 but I'm not an idiot," she said, crossing her arms, and Remus shook his head.

"I'm not suggesting you're an idiot," he said, and Tonks huffed, "I'm just saying that it's not safe," he said. Tonks opened her mouth to argue, but Remus put his finger on her lips, "Not going to change my mind here Nymphadora," he said, and Tonks's eyes predictably widened.

"Bloody hell Remus someone could hear you!" she hissed, looking around, and Remus snickered, "And if you _want _to call me by my first name, shorten it will you? To something less embarrassing!"

"I like you're name actually," Remus said, and Tonks snorted, "I do!"

"Whatever, I'm not letting you call me it," she declared, and Remus sighed.

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't want anyone calling you that if your stupid mother decided to name you _Nymphadora _of all things," she grumbled, and Remus bit back a laugh, deciding to cooperate with the girl he had somehow come to love.

"How about Dora?" he asked, and Tonks grinned at him

"I can live with that, you're the first one to come up with it,"

"Really?"

"Yes"

"I should get the house cup for that," he said sarcastically, and Tonks laughed. The two made their way to the portrait hole and the fat lady looked down at them.

"Hello Remmy," she said, batting her eyelashes, and Remus chuckled. Tonks narrowed her eyes and said the password, "Alright, good night darling," she said, blowing a kiss to Remus, who laughed and walked through the portrait hole.

"Do you boys have to be so bloody good looking?" Hestia was grumbling to Sirius as they made their way over to the seventh years. Hestia and Sirius, and James and Lily were dancing next to each other.

"What's wrong with our devilishly good looks?" James asked, earning himself a pinch from Lily.

"Potter, it's a wonder you can get out of bed your head is so inflated," she muttered to him, and James grinned.

"Ah Lily, are you getting nostalgic?" Sirius teased, and Lily aimed a kick at him, "BLOODY HELL Lily-petal, you're wearing bloody heels!" he whined, letting go of Hestia and leaning down to rub his shin.

"I didn't kick you with the heel!" Lily squealed.

"I can vouch for that," Remus said, and the four of them turned up to grin at him.

"MOONY, THAT'S MEAN!" Sirius whined, stomping his foot, and Tonks giggled, "Hello darling," he said, offering Tonks his most charming smile, and James raised his eyebrows as he saw Remus's face go dark, just like his did when Sirius flirted with Lily.

"Thank you Remus," Lily grinned, and Remus smiled back at her, "Hi Tonks," she said, smiling at her, and Tonks beamed.

"Hi Lily,"

"It's Lily-Petal," Sirius said, glaring at Lily, and Lily's jaw dropped, before she turned to her best friend.

"I cant believe you said that in front of him!" she yelled, pointing her finger at Hestia accusingly, and Hestia hid behind Sirius, who looked down at her.

"Hest you realize she's more likely to hurt me right?" Sirius squeaked, and Hestia grinned into his back.

"That way she'll get it all out on you so she wont hurt me," she laughed, and the others laughed.

"I love you too," Sirius said sarcastically, crossing his arms across his chest sadly.

"Well that also solves a problem of hers," James said, and Sirius turned to gawk at his best mate.

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M A PROBLEM?" he yelled, and James bit his lip, as the rest of them laughed.

"That's not what I meant Pads!" he said defensively, hiding behind Lily, who crossed her arms and looked at Sirius threateningly. Sirius, scared of Lily, took a step back, "I have a bodyguard," James whispered to Remus and Tonks, who sniggered.

"Manly Prongs," Remus chuckled, and James's jaw clenched, and he stood up straight, walking out from behind Lily.

"I'm a man," he said, and Lily grinned, kissing him on the cheek.

"Yes you are," she said, and James winked at her.

"I DON'T WANT THOSE BLOODY NASTY DETAILS!" Sirius screeched, and Lily and James turned bright red, throwing nasty looks at Sirius.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WERE SAYING!" Lily yelled, and Sirius grinned at her cheekily.

"Your flaming cheeks suggest something else," he winked, and Lily flushed even deeper. Tonks was enjoying herself, hanging out with these seventh years. They made her feel like she belonged.

"Well maybe you are a bloody problem," Lily said, and Sirius raised his eyebrows, amused.

"Are you suggesting that you should get rid of me?"

"Maybe we should just throw him to the throngs of girls, he'll be gone in seconds," Tonks said, and they all turned to look at her incredulously, before erupting in laughter.

"I like you," James said, wiping his eyes after they had calmed down, and Tonks grinned.

"Yeah you're not so bad kiddo," Sirius said, ruffling her hair, and Tonks screamed, as did Hestia and Lily.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?" Hestia yelled at Sirius, walking over to fix Tonks's hair. Lily turned to look at Sirius.

"I am disappointed in you," she said, before turning around to help Hestia fix Tonks's hair.

"Kiddo?" Remus asked, and Sirius shrugged.

"Everyone needs a nickname," he grinned, and Remus rolled his eyes, grinning. Once the girls had effectively and successfully rescued Tonks's hair, they walked back to their respectful boyfriends. Lily wrapped her arms around James' torso and buried her face in his cloak.

"What's with the sudden love?" James teased, wrapping his arm around her, and Lily grinned up at him.

"Savour in it, it doesn't happen very often," she laughed, and James shook his head fondly. Remus watched the two of them longingly, his eyes flickering to Tonks, who was watching the same couple.

"SO WHAT WAS THE OTHER PROBLEM?" Sirius yelled, and Hestia, who had been leaning on him, jumped.

"Sirius bloody Black what is _wrong _with you?" she screeched, and Sirius grinned sheepishly. Hestia stuck her tongue out at him and walked over to James and Lily. She tugged Lily away from James and put her arm around her. Lily looked at Hestia irritably and Hestia grinned at her, "If I'm devoid of boyfriend, you are too," she declared, and saw James narrow his eyes at him, "You need to learn some balance," she said, and Lily snorted.

"I have balance. I'm not dating Sirius Black, that's all the balance I need," she grinned, looking at Sirius cheekily, and Sirius pretended to look offended.

"Ah well," he said, giving up the act, "At least I know you want to date me," he winked, grinning at James, who laughed.

"Okay Padfoot,"

"Are you suggesting that you're a better catch than me?"

"I don't need to suggest it"

"BLOODY HELL PRONGS YOU'RE THE WORST BROTHER EVER!"

"I don't think the best brother ever would say they were the less attractive one," Remus pointed out, and Sirius turned to glare at him.

"You're an ever worser brother"

"Worser?" Tonks asked, not used to Sirius's made up words.

"Yes, that is a word," Sirius said, and Tonks frowned.

"In what dictionary?"

"I'll have to buy you a copy," Sirius said thoughtfully.

"I think _The_ _Idiots Guide to Idiocy _is sold out," Lily said, and they laughed.

"SO what was the problem?" Tonks asked, honestly curious, and Sirius looked at her happily.

"I FOUND SOMEONE WHO THINKS LIKE ME!" he said, pointing between him and Tonks frantically.

"I'm insulted," Tonks muttered, and Sirius looked at her incredulously.

"EVEN MY FAMILY HATES ME!" he whined, and then bit his lip.

"They hate me too!" Tonks said, and Sirius grinned.

"Touché," he said, happy again, and Tonks grinned.

"I can't believe we're related," Tonks muttered, and Sirius stuck his tongue out at her.

"Aren't you ecstatic?"

"Absolutely," Tonks said sarcastically, and Sirius grinned.

"So the problem!" he whined, turning to the girls, and Hestia sighed.

"The problem is that James, Remus and you are too bloody good looking!" she whined, and Lily nodded.

"Why was HE first on that list?" Sirius yelled, and James grinned proudly.

"Because he's the best looking," James said, and the girls snorted, "LILY!" Lily grinned at him cheekily and then nodded towards Remus, who laughed.

"Whatever," Sirius said, "Why are my devilishly good looks, and Prongs and Moony's somewhat good looks, a problem?" he asked, and the two boys turned to glare at him.

"BECAUSE," Hestia yelled, exasperated, and turned to Lily, who sighed.

"Do you know how irritating it is to have girls glare at you all the time? And look at your boyfriend all the time?" she asked, and Hestia nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Sirius and James looked around and saw the girls looking at them. Remus ruffled his hair as Tonks shrugged, obviously knowing already.

"They plot our deaths too," Hestia said, then looked at Lily, and the two girls started to giggle.

"That was so funny!" Lily said through hysterical giggles, and James frowned down at her.

"What happened?"

"We were in the bathroom," Lily started, but was cut off by Sirius,

"Together?"

"Head out of the gutter Sirius," Remus muttered, and Sirius winked at him, before turning back to the girls.

"We were in the doorway, and we heard them speaking. They were trying to remember how to brew a poison and they had discussed they were going to give it to me, and then after I was gone, give it to Hestia," Lily continued, as if she hadn't heard Sirius. The two girls were crying of laughter by now, and the boys had smiles creeping up on their faces.

"And…and Lily here. They were like 'so wait, is it roots?' and Lily was like 'no it's scales,' and winked and walked out, giving them two weeks detention," Hestia choked out, and they all burst into laughter.

"I wouldn't let them hurt you," James said, pulling Lily away from Hestia and wrapping his arms around her from behind. Sirius grinned at Hestia, who sighed and walked over to him

"You're supposed to say something nice like that," she pointed out, standing in front of Sirius, who pretended to think.

"I'll pay more attention to you than them," he promised cheekily, and Hestia giggled. Sirius grinned and kissed her on the forehead, "Hestia you're it for me," he whispered, so only she could hear, and Hestia flushed happily.

"HELLO!" Alice said happily, stumbling over to them, and they all turned to look at her incredulously.

"She had 3 bottles of Firewhisky," Frank muttered, holding her elbow as Alice grinned around happily. Lily and Hestia laughed.

"I LOVE DRUNK ALICE!" Hestia yelled happily, and Lily nodded.

"ALICE!" Lily sung, and Alice turned to look at her.

"Lily-pie! Like Mag-pie! Maybe we should have named you Mag. No, then Potter couldn't have bewitched the sign to read 'Evans go out with me'. But wait wouldn't your last name be the same?" Alice rambled, as they all laughed at her.

"Maybe we should get you to the dorm," Frank chuckled, leading Alice to the stairs, and then freezing, "Yeah I cant do that," he said, and they laughed.

"Take a broom mate," Sirius said, and Frank raised his eyebrows.

"Tried and tested," Hestia said, and Frank laughed.

"No way?"

"Way," Sirius nodded, and Lily snorted.

"Way?"

"Way," Sirius said again, and Lily laughed.

"What time is it?" Tonks asked, before yawning.

"It's her bed time!" Sirius yelled, and Tonks narrowed her eyes at him, "Love you too," he grinned, and Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Oh Merlin! It's 4:30!" Lily squealed, paling, "It's time for bed," she said to Sirius, who sighed.

"Fiiiiiiine," he whined, "Oh no, this is the ending of our last party at Hogwarts," he said, and the seventh years looked at each other. Tonks felt her stomach drop, she wasn't going to have them to hang out with next year, not that she had much this year, and she really regretted it.

"Are you ready?" James asked, looking from his best mates, to Hestia, to his girlfriend. They all looked around one last time, and nodded, "WAIT!" James yelled, pulling out a camera.

"James what is that?" Hestia asked, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Is that my muggle camera?" she asked, and James grinned.

"Told you I'd get your photo album done. I have most of the pictures, just the last few need to be taken," he winked, and Lily looked up at him tearfully.

"DON'T CRY, you can't have runny makeup," Hestia chastised, and Lily chuckled a watery chuckle.

"Ready?" James asked, holding the camera, and Lily shook her head.

"You have to be in the picture too!" she squealed, "Are you in none of them?"

"No, I'm in most, I asked everyone to take," he grinned, looking around at his friends, who winked at Lily.

"Really? Thanks you guys," she said, and they shook their heads.

"No she's right though James, you should be in the photo, I'll take it," Tonks said, and walked over to James, snatching the camera.

"Thanks," James grinned at her, and walked over to wrap his arms around Lily. The five of them squeezed together.

"Three, two, one," There was a bright flash and the Gryffindors stood frozen. That was their last party.

"WAIT, WAIT, one with my camera!" Sirius yelled, pulling a camera out of somewhere, "Now we have a muggle and a wizard one," he grinned, and they all grinned at him.

"Three, two, one,"

"CHEESE!" Sirius yelled, and they all burst into laughter, holding onto each other. Lily felt tears run down her cheeks as she realized she wasn't ever going to do this again.

"I'm going to miss this," she whispered, and James, being the only one who heard her, looked down at her.

"Me too Lils, but we're all going to be together forever, laughing at that idiot," he said, squeezing her, and Lily smiled up at him.

"And I get to keep you?" she asked, and James smiled down at her, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Always Lils," he whispered, and Lily smiled up at him. She reached up and kissed him quickly, before getting down, wiping her eyes delicately as to not mess up the makeup.

"Okay, I'm ready for this party to be over then," she said, taking a deep breath, and shaking her head.

"Ready to send it off?" Sirius asked emotionally, looking around at the festivity, "Who thought this was going to be so hard?" he choked out, and they looked at him. Lily walked over to Sirius and wound her arms around his torso.

"We'll do something in your new flat," she grinned, and Sirius laughed.

"Yes, we will do that," he said, and cleared his throat. Lily let go of Sirius and walked over, taking James's hands, "Let's all face each other," Sirius said, turning around. The five of them stood in a circle, Tonks didn't want to intrude, and walked over to Maria. The five looked at each other, taking everything in, "Shall we?" Sirius asked, pulling his wand out. Lily reached down her dress and pulled the wand out, and Sirius grinned cheekily, as James's eyes widened.

"Where else am I supposed to put it?" she hissed at the boys, who snickered before turning back to the middle of the circle.

"Now, we're making fireworks, that read 'Marauders and Marauderettes, 1979'," Sirius said, and the girls looked up at him tearfully, "You think you aren't one of us now?" he asked, looking at the two girls he loved most in the world. They grinned at him, and Lily brought her hand up to wipe a tear.

"LILY YOUR BLOODY MAKEUP!" Hestia hissed, and Lily chuckled. The boys smiled, looking at their girls.

"Sorry,"

"Stupid," Hestia said fondly, squeezing Lily's hand. The five of waited until the song had ended, looking around, taking it in, as well as each other, before sighing.

"Ready?" James choked out, and they all nodded.

"We're going to be together forever," Lily said, "All of us," she said, looking around, and they all nodded, "Then I can do this," she said through her tears, and they nodded, in agreement with her.

"Three," Sirius said

"Two," Remus managed to get out

"One," James said in a husky voice, coated with tears. They all twirled their wands at the same moment, and extraordinary fireworks went off. Everyone in Gryffindor Tower stopped, and turned to look at the fireworks.

_Marauders and Marauderettes, 1979_

The five of them looked up at it proudly, grinning, their faces coated in tears. Frank and Alice came down the stairs and looked up at it, smiling. Peter, who was sitting on an armchair, felt his tears well up as he saw it, and rubbed his eyes. The Gryffindor Tower erupted in applause and cheers. Frank, Alice and Peter reached them, and together, they held hands, and took a bow. The girls and Frank let go, leaving the four Marauders. They clapped as the Marauders looked at each other, before taking their bow.

"I LOVE YOU ALL!" Sirius yelled, and Lily found herself laughing, along with all the other seventh years, all of them laughing through their tears. Some things were never going to change.

* * *

The next morning, they walked down to breakfast, not feeling the same sadness they had felt the previous night. They had all learnt to accept it, and Sirius had decided to throw a massive party at James's house, in the ballroom after they graduated, making all of them feel better.

"Morning!" Lily said happily, sitting down next to Sirius, who grinned at her and kissed her on the side of the head in a brotherly manner. James grinned and sat down next to her.

"What, no murdering Sirius for kissing your girlfriend?" Remus winked, and James laughed.

"I figure if he kisses mine, I'll kiss his and we'll be even," he shrugged, and Remus laughed as Sirius stuck his tongue out at his best mate.

"I don't love Lily-flower that way," he said, and James grinned.

"I know, or else I wouldn't have allowed you to do that," he shrugged, and Sirius smiled.

"HELLO!" Sirius yelled, and they turned around to see Tonks and Maria passing by. Tonks grinned.

"Hi," she said, and looked down at Remus, who felt his stomach jump as he looked at her.

"Hello," he said, and Tonks grinned down at him.

"Hello to you too," she said, "This is my friend Maria," she said, introducing her to the seventh years, who smiled at her

"NEWT SCORES!" Alice yelled, sitting down, and Lily dropped her fork.

"WHAT?" she screeched, and Alice nodded.

"THEY COME OUT! TODAY! MCGONAGALLS GOING TO GIVE THEM TO US! I'M SO SCARED!" Alice screeched, and Lily started to rock back and forth.

"T-T-T-T-T-Today?" Remus choked out, and Alice nodded somberly. James and Sirius looked nervous as well, but as usual, did something else to distract themselves, in this case, plotting.

"What are you _plotting_?" Hestia asked irritably, scared for the NEWT grades.

"It's the end of the year Hest, what do you think?" Frank asked, sitting next to James, and James grinned at him.

"Good boy," Sirius said, and Lily giggled, "Why is she giggling? Oh my Merlin she's being a girl! It's so scary! She's giggling! JAMES HELP!" Sirius yelled. Everyone had already been laughing halfway through his little rant, and James took a deep breath, and looked at Lily, who wasn't here.

"Lils?" he asked, looking around, "Where's Lily?" he asked, looking at Hestia and Alice, who were looking at the spot in amusement. Hestia sighed.

"Lily that's mean," she said, pulling her wand out and pointing it at the spot where Lily was, and Lily reappeared.

"DID YOU DILLUSIONIFY YOURSELF TO FREAK US OUT?" Sirius screamed at Lily, who grinned and nodded. She was sitting in between Sirius and James, and felt the glares from them boring into her. Remus was sitting across from her, and she could feel his as well.

"Hestia I'm melting," she squealed, and Hestia laughed, as the three boys' murderous looks melted as they tried not to laugh, "Dillusionify?" she asked, turning to Sirius, who grinned and shrugged. Lily noticed that the second years were still standing awkwardly and smiled at him, "This is rude, sit down," she said, gesturing next to Remus, and Tonks laughed.

"Took you long enough," she said sarcastically, and Lily grinned at her. Maria looked nervous.

"Hi Maria," Lily said politely, and Maria smiled at her shyly.

"Hi Lily,"

"HELLO!"

"Sirius!" Lily said, turning to whack him in the arm.

"What?"

"You're _scaring _her!"

"No, I'm breaking the ice," he said, and Maria burst into laughter, "SEE IT WORKS!"

"MARIA I LOVE YOUR SHOES!" Hestia squealed, and Lily turned to look at James, who grinned.

"Hestia!"

"What?"

"You're _scaring _her!" James said, mimicking Lily, and Hestia burst into laughter, as did everyone else, including Lily.

"Yeah, I'm not scared anymore," said Maria, visibly relaxing.

"Good we're not very scary," Sirius said, and Lily snorted, "WHAT?"

"Never mind," James said, covering Lily's mouth, and Lily laughed. She turned around to face him and grinned up at him, "You should thank me, I just saved your voice a lot of yelling," he said matter-of-factly, and Lily grinned.

"Thank you James," she said, and James sighed.

"Lily-flower, that is not how one thanks ones boyfriend," Sirius chastised, and Lily turned to look at him, amused.

"And how does one thank ones boyfriend?" she asked, and Sirius huffed, looking frustrated, as all five girls smirked.

"Well, one must say thank you," he started, and Lily burst into laughter, "I WASN'T DONE SHUT UP TOMATO!" he yelled, and Lily grinned, and stopped laughing, "and then one, meaning you, and Hestia by the way," he added, winking at his girlfriend, who rolled her eyes, and got back to her food, obviously having heard this before, "you must wrap your arms around your boyfriend's neck and pull him in for a good snog, then, once snogging has ceased, one must say thank you once more. Depending on the boyfriends satisfatorifying levels, he shall say whether or not he needs more thanking," Sirius said, and Lily giggled.

"Satisfatorifying?"'

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT OUT OF THAT?" he yelled, and Lily laughed.

"No I heard everything"

"Now do it," he said, pushing her, and she looked up into James' laughing eyes.

"Thank you," she said, and Sirius grinned.

"Very good, now…"

"SIRIUS, I can't do this with you TELLING me what to do," she hissed, and Sirius snickered, as did Remus. Lily wrapped her arms around James neck and pulled him down, just as the instructions had said; after all, Lily Evans always followed instructions. James put one hand in her hair and one on the small of her back, holding her to him, and deepened the kiss. Lily gasped as his tongue entered her mouth and kissed him back harder. Once they broke off, Lily frowned, trying to remember the next step, "thank you?" she said, turning to Sirius, who nodded.

"Satisfatorifying levels?" he asked James, who laughed.

"That was good…for now," he said, and Sirius winked.

"That's my boy," he laughed, and then grimaced, "Remind me to never make them do that at the table again," he told Remus, who laughed and nodded.

"That looked like a great snog," Hestia said, looking at the two of them in awe, and Lily flushed.

"Were you _watching _us?"

"We all were," Alice shrugged, and Lily looked at James, who grinned. Lily looked over at the second years that were still gaping at her, and grinned. They snapped out of their trance and smiled at her sheepishly, getting back to their food. Lily turned back to her bacon and toast, and practically inhaled it she was so hungry.

"I haven't seen Pete around in forever," she said, and James nodded.

"He said he was going to be busy this week," he said, and Lily nodded.

"NEWT STUDENTS!" They jumped to see McGonagall walking towards them, holding official looking envelopes in her arms.

"Oh Merlin," Lily breathed, grabbing James's hand. They all looked at each other worriedly, "Good luck," Lily squeaked.

"Good luck," they said together. McGonagall stopped and then looked curiously down at the second years.

"Morning Ms. Tonks, Ms. Beckly," she said, confused, and Sirius grinned.

"We bought pets!" Sirius said happily, winking at Tonks and Maria, telling them it was a joke.

"Mr. Black," McGonagall said sternly, and Sirius winked.

"Minnie love, I am about to graduate, tomorrow actually, so you may as well call me Sirius now," he winked, and McGonagall flushed as the NEWT students and the second years bit their lips to stop from laughing.

"You will always be Mr. Black," she said sternly, and Sirius waggled his eyebrows.

"You like it that way? Not bad Minnie, not bad, it's a lot more kinky," he winked, and McGonagall turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. Lily was laughing so hard her stomach was starting to cramp from holding it in.

"Anyway," McGonagall said, clearing her throat, and turning away from Sirius, "here are your NEWT results," she said, gesturing to the envelopes, "The envelopes also contain the programs which are willing to accept you after you graduate," she said, looking around, and their eyes widened, "So congratulations, all of you already have jobs," she smiled, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Did everyone get accepted into something?" Alice asked fearfully, and McGonagall nodded.

"Everyone," she said, and turned to look at Remus, nodding, and Remus grinned, "seated in front of me got accepted into amazing careers," she said proudly, "Even you Sirius," she winked, and Sirius's jaw dropped. Lily laughed and pinched Sirius on the cheek. She had to hand it to McGonagall, she knew how to play, "Congratulations, and it has been a pleasure teaching…most of you," she said, looking pointedly at the Marauders, who grinned at her cheekily. She handed the envelopes out, and then walked away. Lily looked down at her envelope nervously.

"Good luck," Remus muttered, before ripping the top of his envelope. The second years watched quietly as all the seventh years looked down at their grades.

_NASTILY EXCRUCIATING WIZARDING TESTS_

_Pass Grades:_

_Oustanding (O)_

_Exceeds Expectations (E)_

_Acceptable (A)_

_Fail Grades:_

_Poor (P)_

_Dreadful (D)_

_Troll (T)_

_JAMES POTTER HAS ACHIEVED:_

_Charms: O_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts: O_

_Divination: E_

_Herbology: O_

_Potions: O_

_Runes: O_

_Transfiguration: O_

James grinned down at his results and then exhaled, feeling a huge weight shift off his shoulders, he peered over at Lily's expression as she read her results.

_NASTILY EXCRUCIATING WIZARDING TESTS_

_Pass Grades:_

_Outstanding (O)_

_Exceeds Expectations (E)_

_Acceptable (A)_

_Fail Grades:_

_Poor (P)_

_Dreadful (D)_

_Troll (T)_

_LILY CLARE EVANS HAS ACHIEVED:_

_Charms: O_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts: O_

_Divination: O_

_Herbology: O_

_Potions: O_

_Runes: O_

_Transfiguration: O_

"If you're disappointed I'll kill you," Sirius snickered, looking down at Lily's results. Lily grinned and stuck her tongue out at Sirius. James laughed and looked down at Lily's and rolled his eyes. Of course.

"How did you manage an O in Divination of all things?" James asked, and Lily laughed.

"It was easy," she shrugged, and Sirius snickered, "How'd you do?" she asked. Both boys showed her their grades and Lily grinned. They had achieved the exact same thing, "You are too alike," she giggled, and James and Sirius hi-fived over her head.

"PRONGS! WE GOT ALL SEVEN NEWTS!" Sirius said happily, and James grinned.

"Who would've thought?" Remus grinned.

"How did you do?"

"Pretty well," Remus said modestly.

"All O's," Tonks reported from his side, peeking at his parchment, and Lily grinned at her as Remus looked down at her exasperatedly.

"Hest?" Lily asked, looking over at her best friend. Hestia let out a sound like choking, and Lily looked at James worriedly. Remus leaned over to look and laughed.

"What?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Hestia.

"She's afraid because she got everything O except an E in Divination," Remus said, rolling his eyes, and Hestia's eyes widened.

"I CANT BELIEVE IT!" she squealed, and Lily grinned at her best friend. Alice and Frank had gotten the same as Hestia, so they all grinned at each other.

"We're done with our education!" Sirius said happily, and they all grinned.

"Did you read your job letter things?" Maria asked, and they all looked at each other, before simultaneously diving into the envelopes, causing the second years to chuckle. Lily pulled out her letters and found 8.

"Merlin," she squealed, and James laughed, pulling out 7. Everyone else, except Lily and Remus, had seven letters and looked down at them excitedly.

"OH MY MERLIN NO WAY!" Hestia screamed, and Lily grinned at her best friend.

"You didn't?"

"I DID!" Hestia squealed, thrusting a paper at her best friend. Lily squealed and looked down at the paper

_Ms. Hestia Jones_

_Congratulations on being accepted to work at _The Daily Prophet. _It is a real honour to be assigned this job, as it is not offered to everyone. We sincerely hope you will come work with us, _

_Ms. Rita Skeeter_

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Lily squealed, throwing herself onto her best friend. Sirius grinned down at the letter and winked at Hestia, who blushed happily. Lily sat down and looked through her letters, before freezing, "I. Got. In," she said, and James leaned over, grinning.

"Me too," he chuckled, kissing her on the forehead, looking down at his own letter from Auror headquarters.

"ME TOO!" Sirius said happily, "WE'RE GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL TOGETHER AGAIN!" he said happily, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sirius Black, you are not going to be pulling pranks there," she said, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yes mom"

"I GOT IN TOO!" Alice squealed, and Frank grinned, "DID YOU?" she asked, looking at Frank, who nodded gleefully, "MERLIN WE DID IT!" she yelled happily, throwing her arms around him.

"Moony?" James asked, looking at Remus, who was staring at the parchment with wide eyes. Remus wordlessly handed Lily the parchment, so that all three of them could read.

_Mr. Remus John Lupin,_

_Congratulations, you have been accepted into the Auror program. You are probably a little shocked, due to your situation, but the way I see it, lycanthropy is nothing to be ashamed of, but to be used. Congratulations._

_Alastor Moody_

"REMUS!" Lily screamed, and Remus nodded, grinning. James and Sirius grinned at each other, and then at Remus, who looked like he was going to explode of joy. They had all gotten everything they wanted, how could anything go wrong. Lily turned up to look at Dumbledore, who winked at her and gave her thumbs up.

* * *

"We're graduating tomorrow," Lily said, looking at James that night in the Heads Common Room.

"That's weird," he muttered, and Lily laughed. Just then, the door burst open and all their friends flooded in.

"Hi," Lily smiled, still sitting on James.

"HELLO!" Sirius said happily, sitting down next to James. Lily giggled and got off James, and walked over to hug Hestia. Hestia hugged Lily back and they all raised their eyebrows at them, "I don't understand," Sirius said, turning to James, who grinned.

"Me neither, mate," James said, messing up his hair as he watched the still hugging girls.

"They're freaking out," Alice said, watching her friends.

"So they're hugging?" James asked, with an adorably confused expression.

"They're two halves of a whole," Alice smiled, and both Sirius and James gasped.

"WHAT?" Sirius yelled, and the girls jumped apart, turning to grin at him.

"Sorry Sirius," Lily grinned, and smiled sweetly at James.

"I'm not going to apologize," Hestia said, "Lily's my other half. You guys are just our partners," she said matter-of-factly and Lily grinned.

"I can live with that," James shrugged, and Hestia squealed, clapping.

"Fine," Sirius huffed, crossing his arms.

"You're my other half Padfoot," James nodded reassuringly, and Sirius grinned, cheering up considerably.

"You're mine too Prongs," Sirius said. Lily watched their teasing expressions, and saw the depths of trust and truth behind their words. Only the Marauders, she chuckled to herself.

"So what are we doing today? Last night before graduation…" Remus said tauntingly, and they all looked at each other.

"Let's have fun," Sirius said genuinely, looking around at all his friends.

"We should get dressed up and walk around the castle for the last time as students," Alice said, and they all smiled.

"That actually sounds like a great idea," James smiled, and they all stood up simultaneously to go get dressed.

The Seventh Year Gryffindors paraded the halls of Hogwarts for the last time as Hogwarts students, laughing, telling jokes, and reliving memories, none of them realizing that, the entire time, there were silent tears rolling down their cheeks, but they weren't sad tears, neither were they extremely happy. How could you leave your home forever?

"LOOK!" Sirius said, pointing to a spot in front of the teacher's high table. They were way past curfew, and had been stopped a few times, but because Lily and James were with them, nobody had been able to stop them, and to be honest, nobody really wanted to. Lily smiled down at the spot, "We got sorted right here," he said, sighing down at the floor, and they all looked at the same spot. Lily remembered the three-legged stool, her nerves, how she had smiled apologetically at Severus and ended up sitting next to Sirius.

"The last thing we do at Hogwarts should be sitting on the three legged stool with the sorting hat again," Remus smiled, and they all grinned.

"I'll go ask Dumbledore," Lily said, and they all turned to look at her incredulously, "What?"

"Lily you've changed so much," Hestia said, putting her arm around her best friend, "I'm so happy," she sighed, and Lily laughed, hugging her best friend.

"We should get to bed," James said quietly, "Big day tomorrow," he grinned around at his friends, who laughed.

"Really?" Sirius asked sarcastically, draping his arm around James' shoulders in a brotherly fashion.

"So I've heard," James said solemnly, and Lily snorted, "That's not very ladylike love," he chuckled, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"Remember this spot?" Remus asked, pointing to a certain seat on the bench. James flushed as Sirius snickered.

"What?" Hestia asked, and Lily giggled, "What?" she asked her beset friend.

"This is where James asked Lily out for the first time," Sirius snickered, looking down at the spot. James grinned at Lily, who rolled her eyes.

"Who asks someone out on the _first _day of _first _year and expects them to say yes? Bloody hell James," she said, crossing her arms, and Hestia burst out laughing.

"I remember Lily after that!" she squealed, and Lily flushed, "'Why did he do that?' 'Was he making fun of me?' 'He's rather cute, but, I'm so confused!'" Hestia mimicked Lily's voice, as Lily flushed and the Marauders, minus Peter, laughed.

"Do you remember the way he did it though?" Remus snickered, and James narrowed his eyes at him.

"I didn't take advice from you until third year after that," he grinned, and Remus shrugged.

"It would have been romantic had you not _yelled _it at her," Remus said, and James flushed.

"I had never asked a girl out before! What do you expect? And then you bloody tell me to serenade to her!" Lily laughed at the memory and wrapped her arms around James' torso.

"If you had been on tune I might have said yes," she teased, and James gasped.

"I was on tune!"

"No you weren't mate," Sirius said, clapping James on the back.

"What song was it again?" Hestia asked, and James flushed, looking down at the floor.

"It was a muggle song," James said, and Lily grinned at him.

"It was so old," she grinned, and James stuck his tongue out at the love of his life.

"It was from the sixties!"

"Still old," she shrugged, and James pouted, "it was cute though," she nodded, and Hestia nodded in agreement.

"Bloody song," James muttered, and Sirius snickered.

"It was so catchy"

"It was," agreed Remus, "We were humming it for weeks"

"Lily, get me new friends," James whined, and Lily grinned.

"No I like these ones"

"Fine," James sighed, as they left the Great Hall, and walked up the stairs, having had moments in every inch of the castle, reminiscing, and didn't need anymore. They had had their goodbye. Now all they had to do was leave. James and Lily had decided to sleep in their old dorms, so they all filed up into Gryffindor Tower, the Heads dorm having been locked up for the night due to the resident's decisions. They walked into the common room and looked around nostalgically. So much had happened here, so many years, "We got together, right here," James grinned, standing a little off to the left of the centre of the common room. Lily grinned and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Just like this," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Thank you for asking me out James Potter," Lily said, and they all erupted into laughter.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Remus wheezed, wiping at his eyes. Lily grinned up at James, who was beaming down at her. He leaned down and kissed her softly, and Lily kissed him back. It wasn't a passionate kiss, just one of love.

"HESTIA THIS IS OUR SPOT!" Sirius said happily, jumping up and down at a spot that was near where the refreshments table usually was. Hestia grinned and walked by Sirius, who grabbed her around the waist and swung her to him, "Not so fast Jones," he winked, and Hestia giggled.

"That's exactly what you said and did that night," she sighed, and Sirius nodded, before kissing her gently. Remus was looking out the portrait hole, and Lily looked at him

"My place is out there," he smiled, and they all grinned at him. Remus had filled them in on what had happened between him and Tonks, and, although Lily was slightly disappointed about the age difference, Remus had made the right decision.

"I'd tell you to go out there, but Tonks has to be there for that," Lily said, and Remus laughed.

"No," he shook his head fondly, "I think I have to be there by myself," he grinned, before walking out.

"Want us to come?" James asked worriedly, and Remus shook his head fondly at his friends overt worrying. Remus walked out of the portrait hole, ignoring the Fat Lady, who was, as usual, trying to hit on him, as she did with Sirius and James, and stood where he and Tonks had had their conversation, smiling to himself.

"I hoped you'd come here." Remus jumped and looked around to see Tonks, in her pajamas, standing there awkwardly. Tonks walked over to Remus and wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him. Remus hugged her back and smiled down at her.

"Of course I'd come here," he grinned, ruffling her hair. Tonks shrieked, and jumped away from him, sticking her tongue out whilst fixing her hair. Remus grinned down at her.

"You know, I never said it back," Tonks said quietly, and Remus's eyes widened.

"Please don't," he choked, and Tonks looked up at him, "It's a little easier, like this, if I don't know that," he said, and Tonks looked at him sadly.

"But I do," she whispered, and Remus looked down at her, remembering the day he had met her after her Quidditch tryout.

"And you know I do too," Remus said, and Tonks smiled up at him.

"I'll wait till I graduate," she winked, and Remus guffawed.

"If you can"

"Remus I can wait forever," she said, and Remus felt the urge to kiss her, but restrained himself. She was, after all, only 12, "Anyway, congrats on the Auror stuff," she grinned, and Remus smiled down at her.

"Thanks," he said, and Tonks smiled at him.

"I'm skipping classes to come to your graduation, so I'll see you tomorrow, or later today," she said, looking down at her watch, and Remus chuckled.

"Don't skip class," he chastised, and Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Sorry dad," she teased, and Remus stuck his tongue out at her, "See you tomorrow," she grinned, before skipping into the Common Room, but not without hugging Remus first. Remus sighed in contentment, realizing he had had a proper goodbye with Hogwarts now.

"Remus?" Remus jumped to see Lily standing outside next to him, "Oh good there you are," she smiled.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, and Lily shrugged.

"I came to check on you," she said, "Sirius and James went up to the dorm after we said goodnight, and Hestia went up, and I was still down when I saw Tonks skip in, so I assumed you'd be out here," she grinned, and Remus chuckled.

"Well you found me,"

"Really?" she asked, and Remus grinned, putting his arm around her and leaning against the wall.

"I can't believe I fell for a 12 year old," he sighed, and Lily giggled, "Oh shut up"

"That's okay, look what I fell for," she teased, and Remus guffawed.

"You're right, you have it worse"

"Then maybe you shouldn't date him." They both jumped as an unfamiliar voice came out of the corridors. Remus pulled his wand out and lit it, and found it radiating on the disgusting face of Avery.

"Avery, get the hell out of here," Remus said dangerously, and Avery ignored him, looking straight at Lily, with a hungry look in his eyes, making Lily feel uncomfortable.

"Avery, you're out after curfew," Lily said in her Head Girl voice, and Avery grinned at her.

"Are you going to punish me?" Remus growled, and Avery flicked his wand, and Remus froze. Lily's eyes narrowed and she pulled her own wand out

"Go back to your common room," she instructed, and Avery shook his head. He took a few steps closer to her, and Lily flinched as Avery grabbed her wrist, pinning her against the wall.

"I've wanted to do this since that day at the Owlery," he muttered, and Lily attempted to push him off her, but she couldn't. Suddenly, Avery was blasted back, unconscious. Lily looked around for her savior, and saw Remus standing upright, glaring at Avery.

"How did you unfreeze?" she asked, and Remus shrugged, looking around.

"Let's go inside, James won't hear of this," Remus said, taking Lily's hand and dragging her into the common room. Lily allowed Remus to lead her back into Gryffindor Tower.

Once the Gryffindors were inside, a figure came out of the shadows, and walked towards Avery. He flicked his wand and the unconscious Avery of his doing, floated into the air, and started to make its way back to the Slytherin Common Room. Slowly, Severus Snape followed the unconscious Avery back to his common room with a slight smile on his face. He had helped Lily Evans. He had helped keep her safe. That was all he had ever wanted.

"James?" James sat up straight, not yet asleep, and looked at the sillouhette of Lily.

"What is it Lils?" he asked, holding his arms out to her. Lily walked into his arms and lay down next to him, cuddling herself into his chest, "What's wrong?" he asked, as he realized she was shaking slightly. Lily shook her head nad wrapped her arms around James, feeling safer.

"I love you," she whispered, nad James chuckled.

"I love you more than you know," he whispered into her hair, and Lily smiled, feeling tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to leave"

"We're not leaving tomorrow, we're graduating tomorrow," he pointed out, and Lily nodded, "But we're ready to leave now, we said goodbye to everything," he said, and Lily nodded in agreement, "So why are you upset to leave now?" he asked, and Lily sighed.

"I don't want to leave you," she said, and James froze.

"Lily, are you breaking up with me?"

"No!" she squeaked, and then covered her mouth as Sirius turned in his sleep, and James relaxed, "I just, I'm going to miss living with you," she said, and James wrapped his arms around her, "I get to see you every second of every day, and I don't want you to forget me because we wont do that anymore," she whispered, and James kissed her forehead.

"Lily, I see you when I close my eyes, I don't think I can every forget you," he whispered into her hair, and Lily nodded. James kissed her softly and Lily sighed in contentment, before standing up, "Where are you going?"

"Back to my dorm," she said, kissing him, "See you tomorrow," she said, and James could see her smile even in the darkness. Lily tiptoed out of the dorm and walked back to hers, to see Hestia sitting awake on Lily's bed, and Alice fast asleep.

"I love you Lily," Hestia said, hugging her best friend as Lily sat down on her own bed, "And we're graduating tomorrow, and I just want to say, that these years wouldn't have been the same without you,"

"I love you too Hestia, and I don't know how I would've survived any of it without you," Lily said, hugging her friend back. The girls sat like that for a long time, just holding each other, before Hestia stood up.

"Good night Lily. See you in the morning," Hestia said, and lay down on her own bed, drawing the curtains. Lily drew the curtains of her four poster bed and closed her eyes.

"Hestia?"

"Yes Lily?"

"I'm going to be an Auror"

"I'm going to be a writer"

"We're going to be okay," Lily grinned into her pillow, and she heard Hestia chuckle.

"Yes, we are."

**

* * *

Hey guys! You all wanted a fast update, well, here it is! This was quite an emotional chapter, and I had a lump in my throat at points. I don't want to say goodbye to Hogwarts! I know I'm not actually there, but, whatever (: Hope you guys enjoy it. Only two more after this!**


	29. Graduation

**Hello everybody! I am writing this instead of doing my math homework and studying for the SATS (: be proud (in some weird deranged way) **

**Orange-Coyote- The story's not really ending…think of it like Harry Potter. After book one ends you can look forward to book two (: **

**Soccergal18- I couldn't leave you bored on a Snow Day now could I? (:**

**Kathryn Ashleighh x- don't worry, there's going to be a sequel (:**

**Anana553- I know the feeling (the 8****th**** grade thing). I'm in eleventh grade and I cannot bear the idea of graduating next year. Its too weird. The drawing was really bad, but you cant expect miracles. It was drawn like 8 years later by different people. I love Disney songs though, from the movies. Oh my god. Haha**

**Just-As-Loony-As-Luna- Thank you so much (:**

**THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR READING! HAPPY FANFICCING!**

**

* * *

Disclaimer: …got it? (:**

_**

* * *

Previously:**_

_Our Gryffindors are graduating. They have their NEWT results, and they have jobs. _

* * *

"Lily Evans, I am sorry, you have not been able to graduate," Lily felt her heart thud faster. This could not be happening. She could see her friends, James, parents, teachers and James's parents looking at her with disappointed eyes in the audience. _This could not be happening. _

"Why?" she choked out, looking up at Dumbledore, who was looking down at her.

"Ms. Evans, it turns out they delivered you the wrong NEWT results," he said somberly, "These are your NEWT results." Lily looked down to see a list of T's.

"NO!"

"Lily shut up!" she sat up quickly to see Hestia standing over her bed irritably. She sighed and fell back onto her covers. She hadn't graduated yet, "Why in the name of Merlin were you yelling?"

"Bad dream," Lily said, rubbing her eyes, and Hestia rolled her eyes, grinning.

"I bet you didn't graduate," Hestia teased, and Lily stuck her tongue out at her best friend, "Lily, you will be amazing," Hestia said, smiling down at her best friend, "Now get UP we have to get ready." Lily sighed, some things would never change…like Hestia's fashion idiocy.

"Hestia we're wearing gowns over our clothes," Lily pointed out, "We could go in jammies," she said, and Hestia turned to glare at her, "I'm kidding," Lily squeaked under her friends' uncharacteristically stern glare. Hestia laughed at her cowering best friend and walked back over to her trunk.

"I thought you had the perfect graduation dress," Hestia called over her shoulder, and Lily's eyes widened. That was true. She jumped off the bed and ran to the closet, "Lils you don't live here," Hestia said, rolling her eyes, and Lily giggled.

"I put it here the night of the party Hest,"

"Oh," Hestia said, embarrassed. Lily pulled the garment bag out of her closet and Hestia, and Alice who had just walked out of the bathroom, walked over to look at it. Lily unzipped the bag and her two friends grinned down at it.

"That is the perfect graduation dress," Alice nodded her approval, smiling down at the beautiful, strapless black dress that ended just above Lily's knees. Hestia nodded and snapped her fingers.

"Wear it, I need to do your hair and makeup," she instructed, walking over to her trunk and pulling out her crimson dress. Alice was wearing black, like Lily, which had intricate gold work on it.

"Makeup Hest!" Lily whined, and Hestia narrowed her eyes at her best friend, who abruptly stopped talking abruptly, and turned around, pulling off her pajamas. Hestia giggled.

"We're graduating," Hestia giggled some more, and the three girls chuckled. Soon enough, the girls were doubled over in hysterics, tears streaming down their faces, attired in nothing but their underwear. Lily was holding onto one of the four posters of her bed, Alice was lying down on her back, her legs curled up, clutching her stomach, and Hestia was sitting on her knees, clutching her stomach.

"We're _graduating_," Alice choked, and the girls' peals of laughter continued.

"Alice you're getting _married!" _Hestia panted, causing another round of laughter.

"Bloody hell," Lily said, standing up straight, "I'm dating James Potter." The girls fell over in bursts of laughter, laughing at the incredulity of their lives.

"I'm dating Sirius Black!"

"I'm getting _married!" _The girls continued laughing, dressed in their underwear, which is how the boys found them.

"What are you- oh!" Sirius said, looking around at the girls with wide eyes. He looked like he had just found buried treasure. He turned to look at James, and James rolled his eyes as Sirius nodded appreciatively, enjoying what the girls were wearing. Lily, Hestia and Alice shrieked as five boys filed into their room, to see them wearing their underwear.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOCKED!" Hestia screeched, hiding under the covers of her bed. Lily wrapped the curtain of her old four-poster bed around herself and Alice, sat down in her trunk, hiding herself. James winked at Lily, who narrowed her eyes at him. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked in his navy blue dress robes. They made his eyes sparkle more, and somehow managed to make his hair look messier. Sirius was wearing a deep, ink-bottle green set of dress robes, Remus a grey, Frank in deep maroon, and Peter in black.

"Why don't you look dashing," Lily said, looking all the boys up and down, and they pretended to model for her, for her amusement.

"Why don't you look absolutely appealing," Sirius said, eying the curtain, and Lily flushed. James whacked Sirius on the back of the head and walked over to his Lily, smiling down at her.

"You look amazing," Lily said, looking at James, and James grinned.

"Don't I always?" he teased, and Lily shook her head playfully, "Well, I think you should go like that," he said, eying the curtain with more fascination that Sirius had, and Lily felt uncomfortable.

"I wanted to go in pajamas. Nobody would have noticed," she said, and James grinned.

"You have a point"

"Hestia didn't agree," Lily muttered, throwing her best friend, who was yelling at Sirius for attempting to pull the covers off, a dark look. James chuckled and kissed Lily on the forehead.

"I'll draw your curtains, get dressed," he said, "We have to be down in 15 minutes,"

"But graduation isn't for an hour!" Sirius squeaked, and Lily looked up at her boyfriend with wide eyes.

"Yes, but we're Head Boy and Girl, we have speeches to make," he said, rolling his eyes, and Lily gulped.

"Speeches?" she squeaked, and James grinned down at her, knowing Lily hated public speaking, and nodded, "Kill me please?" she begged, and James shook his head. He walked around and shut the curtains from the other side, before looking at Lily. Making sure nobody was looking, Lily handed James the curtain. James didn't move, and Lily cleared her throat. James winked down at her cheekily, reverting his eyes from where they had been, and dragged the curtain closed, "HEST!" Hestia jumped and looked towards Lily's voice.

"Yes?"

"Dress!" Hestia chuckled and, blanket wrapped around her, she picked up Lily's dress. James gawked at the dress as Hestia passed it through the curtains to Lily. It was a great dress. Lily pulled the curtains open, wearing the dress, but the zip completely open, going all the way down her back. She pulled her hair to one side, and turned her back to James, who took that as his cue to close the zip. He stepped forward and delicately grabbed the zip in his right hand. He started tracing patterns all along the exposed skin, causing Lily to tremble, as he slowly closed the zip of the dress. There was a hook on top, and James took a step closer, grabbing it in both hands. He leaned down to hook it, his tongue sticking out, out of concentration, and his eyes focused behind his glasses. Lily rolled her eyes as she peeked at her boyfriend; Only James Potter could manage to make glasses look sexy.

"Done," James announced, and Lily snorted

"Took you long enough"

"I was distracted," he said cheekily, looking down into Lily's magnificent green eyes. Lily grinned up at him and walked forwards to kiss him.

"Lily!" James groaned and grabbed Lily's hair, so she couldn't turn around, "Oh for the love of Merlin James not now!" Hestia grumbled, pulling Lily. James turned to give Hestia a nasty look, which Hestia returned with a sweet smile, already dressed in her dress.

"Hest is that appropriate?" Lily smirked, and Hestia winked. Her dress was floor length, held up by spaghetti straps, with an extremely low back, as well as a low dip in the front. To top it off, the dress was skin-tight.

"You'd look better in it, if only your stupid hair wasn't red," Hestia muttered, glaring at Lily's hair as if it personally offended her, and Lily giggled.

"I wouldn't wear it anyway," Lily pointed out, and James pouted, causing Sirius to guffaw.

"I need to fix you up," Hestia said, and Lily groaned, "Oh shut up, I'm going to do it anyway"

"I'm going to put you in detention!" Lily yelled, and Hestia laughed.

"Lils you've been using that on me this whole year, and I have yet to see the inside of a detention," she pointed out, and Lily stuck her tongue out at her best friend, "now sit, let me fix you," she said, pushing Lily down onto a stool she had conjured.

"There's no mirror," Lily whined, and Hestia shrugged.

"Its called trust," she said, moving to stand behind Lily. Lily looked over at all five boys pleadingly, only to have them grin at her.

"Good luck Lily," Alice said, pulling open her curtains, wearing her dress. Frank looked at her appreciatively, and Alice grinned at him.

"Alice!" Lily whined, and Alice grinned.

"It's been seven years and you're still her favorite guinea pig," Alice giggled, and Lily narrowed her eyes, causing everyone in the room to laugh. Hestia, who was working on Lily's hair, pulled at it, and Lily screamed.

"It's because her hair is so different," Remus chuckled.

"Bloody OW Hestia!" Lily said, tears in her eyes, as she reached back to hold her head. Hestia smacked her hand and Lily growled.

"Save it Lily, you're going to look gorgeous and then you will be thanking me when you look back at these photos when you're old and grey in the Potter mansion," she said, and James laughed.

"We're not living in the Potter Mansion, I want a place in Godric's Hollow," he said, and Hestia giggled.

"My mistake," she said, "I figured, with a home like that, you could live there,"

"That's my parents house, not mine," James pointed out, and Hestia shrugged. It made sense.

"Can I have it?" Lily asked, and James stuck his tongue out at his girlfriend, while all his friends laughed. Hestia continued to tug and rip Lily's hair out, or at least, that's what it felt like to Lily, who had tears streaming down her face. Everyone had conjured up stools and sat around in a circle, while Lily experienced her torture.

"Done!" Hestia sung, finally letting go of Lily's hair, and Lily wiped her face, "Good thing I didn't do the makeup first," Hestia said, looking at Lily's face. Lily chuckled and narrowed her eyes at her best friend, "I'm scared Mrs. Head Girl sir," Hestia said, and Lily laughed. Hestia winked at Sirius, who was having a hard time taking his eyes off her. He was entranced by how she looked in that dress.

"What do I look like?" Lily asked.

"You look amazing," said Hestia, "Right James?" she asked, turning to James, who grinned and nodded, looking at Lily. Hestia had arranged her hair in an up-do, which was lined with intricate twirls of her hair. A lock of Lily's hair was loose, and was arranged to fall in front, curling all the way down to her elbow, and with a few curls loose all over her head, "Makeup!" Hestia declared, walking over to her trunk, and both Lily and Alice grimaced.

"What's wrong with makeup?" Frank asked, and the two girls looked at each other.

"You haven't seen her makeup kit have you?" Lily asked, and the boys shook their heads. Hestia came back, lugging what looked like a large pink suitcase. The boys' eyebrows rose as Hestia dropped it on the floor in front of Lily.

"And you're going to live with her," Alice snickered, and Lily looked at it fearfully. Over the past seven years, she had come to detest that stupid pink bag. James grinned at his girlfriends' frightened expression and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. Hestia opened the suitcase, revealing her finest collection. The boys openly gawked at it.

"I didn't know there was so much makeup in the world," Sirius commented, looking down at all the bottles and compacts and sticks and whatever else were in there. Hestia pulled out a scary looking contraption and Sirius yelled in alarm.

"Calm down, its an eyelash curler," Hestia said, and all boys calmed down, that is, until she put it near Lily's eye.

"HESTIA JONES IF YOU MAIME MY GIRLFRIEND…" James shrieked, and Hestia rolled her eyes, curling her friends eyelashes. Once she was done, she looked at James, who grinned at her sheepishly, before she through the curler over to Alice, who conjured up a mirror and made Frank hold it, while she curled her eyelashes.

"Why are you doing it for Lily then?" Remus asked, and Alice snickered as Lily huffed.

"Hestia enjoys using Lily as a doll," Alice explained.

"I never had a red headed doll when I was young okay!" Hestia said, turning to Alice, while everyone laughed. She turned back to Lily and continued to apply foundation, "Rub that in," she instructed, and Lily started to rub the foundation into her skin, "Here," Hestia said, handing Lily a stick of eyeliner, and handing her a mirror, and then moved on to add eye-shadow, mascara, blush and lip-glosses.

"Finished!" Alice said happily, smiling down at Lily's face.

"Ready?" Hestia asked, turning to James, who rolled his eyes. For the last few minutes, Hestia had covered Lily up from the boys so they wouldn't see her masterpiece. James nodded, and Hestia turned Lily around, and he swore he lost his breath for a second, "I did a good job," she said proudly, as she saw James' expression, as well as Sirius and Remus'.

"Thanks," Lily said, slightly bitterly, and stood up.

"My dolls liked make over's better," Hestia said, and Lily grinned, hugging Hestia.

"Last time we do that at Hogwarts," Lily said, and Hestia shrugged.

"That's okay, you're living with me." Lily groaned and walked over to James, who was having a hard time thinking straight.

"Let's go?" she asked, holding her hand out to him, and James nodded dumbly, taking her hand.

"Deer caught in headlights," Sirius sniggered, and the Marauders and Marauderettes burst into laughter. James stuck his tongue out at his best friend.

"See you at graduation," he said awkwardly, and they all laughed, as the Head Boy and Head Girl filed out of the room.

"Meet us in the Entrance Hall!" Sirius yelled after him, and James waved his hand to show he had heard.

"Lily you look amazing," James breathed as they made their way down towards the courtyard. Graduation was going to be held near the infamous Marauder tree in the large courtyard. Lily grinned up at him, and he leaned down to kiss her.

"Wait!" she squeaked. She pulled her wand out of the neckline of her dress, causing James' eyes to widen as Lily smirked, and she flicked it, before putting it back, James's eyes trailing after her wand.

"What was that for?" he asked, looking around, and Lily giggled.

"That was a charm to have everything freeze," she explained, and James frowned, "My makeup, my hair. You think I want to have Hestia do that again?" she asked bewilderedly, and James laughed.

"Smart," he stated, and they continued to make their way down, "So if I snog you right now, it would stay the same?" he asked, and Lily nodded.

"Yep," she said, and James grinned.

"Wicked," he snickered, and she laughed. They walked out to the garden near the Black Lake, and Lily gasped. The decorations were beautiful. There were streamers everywhere, and levitating in the air was a number. _1979. _There was a large stage with multiple seats on it for the seventh years, and a large audience for the parents and teachers. Lily looked towards the Marauders tree, which was untouched, and looked as it usually did.

"Its so pretty," she breathed, and James shrugged, "What?"

"I can't say that, with you standing right next to me," he grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Shut up James"

"Will do," he grinned, kissing her on the cheek, and Lily giggled.

"There you are!" They jumped and turned to see McGonagall and Dumbledore standing by the stage. They hadn't noticed that there were people everywhere.

"Lily you look marvelous," McGonagall smiled. She was wearing a crimson dress, with her hair tied up in the usual bun. Lily smiled and stumbled, and James laughed as she grimaced. Stupid Hestia had put her in stilettos. McGonagall looked down and shook her head fondly, "Ms. Jones has a dangerous fashion sense," she commented, and pointed her wand at Lily's heels, which suddenly felt as if she was wearing sneakers, "This way you don't lose balance," she commented, and Lily grinned.

"Thank you professor!" Lily said happily, and McGonagall felt tears prickle her eyes, but cleared her throat and looked at James.

"Mr. Potter don't you look dashing," she smiled, and James raised his eyebrows, "Anyway, you two will be making speeches, as you already know," she said, and the two nodded, "Okay, now, Ms. Evans, I have to make sure your parents are alright," she said, and Lily's eyes widened.

"M-My parents?" she squealed, and McGonagall smiled.

"They may be muggles, but no parent should miss their child's graduation," McGonagall smiled, and Lily beamed at her, "They arrived an hour ago." Lily turned to look at James happily, and James grinned down at her. McGonagall walked away to help Slughorn with something, and James turned to Lily.

"You realize our parents are going to meet each other now right?" he asked, and Lily's eyes widened.

"Oh Merlin," she said, her face draining, and James laughed.

"Don't worry about it Lily," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Where are your badges?" Dumbledore asked, walking over to them, looking down at their clothes. James waved his wand and the badges flew to them.

"Right here," he said cheekily, holding them up, and Dumbledore chuckled.

"You should probably wear those," he said, and wlaked away.

"Where do I put it?" Lily hissed, looking down at her stupid strapless dress. James snickered.

"Put it on your gown," he said, and Lily sighed.

"Right," she said, and James snickered, "Oh shut up," she muttered, and James kissed her on her forehead, "Why are you so kissy today?" she asked, and James smiled down at her. He opened his mouth to say something, no doubt extremely mushy, but was cut off by a yell.

"JAMES!" the Head students jumped and turned around to see Lily's mother run into James's arms. Lily looked at her mother with an insulted expression on her face, as James grinned at Lily, hugging her mother back. Andrew Evans walked behind his wife, and rolled his eyes at her, before hugging his daughter.

"Hello my favorite flower," he said happily, hugging Lily. Lily hugged her father back.

"I can't believe you're here!" Lily said, tearing up, and her father scoffed.

"You think I'd miss my baby girls graduation?"

"No, but…" she said, and Andrew shook his head.

"Jane, you're embarrassing us both," Andrew said, turning around as Jane squealed James's name for the third time.

"Oh shut up Andrew," she said, turning around, and grinning at her daughter, "Lily you look simply gorgeous," she said bluntly, walking over to hug her daughter.

"That is true," Andrew said, walking over and clapping James on the back in a manly embrace.

"So do you like Hogwarts?" James asked, running his hand through his hair nervously. He was always nervous around Lily's parents, even if he had lived with them for a few days.

"It's beautiful!" Jane squealed, looking around, "I cant believe you get to come to school here!" she yelled at her daughter, who shrugged and grinned.

"I wish I was magical, I'd love to come here," Andrew said, looking around, "Where's the Quidditch Pitch?" he asked excitedly, and Lily rolled her eyes as James grinned.

"I'll show you later," he said, and Andrew nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you for the Christmas present!" Andrew said happily, and James shrugged. Lily raised her eyebrows; she wasn't aware James and sent her father a Christmas gift.

"No worries," James said, and Lily looked at him questioningly, "I sent him _Quidditch Through the Ages,_" he said, and Lily smiled at him, and mouthed 'thank you'.

"The pictures _moved_!" Andrew whispered, and Lily laughed, "It was new for me," he said defensively, and Lily stopped laughing, smiling at her father.

"I can't believe my little girl is graduating," Jane sniffed, hugging her daughter. Lily hugged her mother back as parents filed around them to their seats.

"We should go," James said, looking around at the parents, and Lily sighed, letting go of her other.

"You ready for this?" she asked faux-excitedly, and James grinned.

"Yes," he grinned, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him, "Why are you so scared, you already have a job," he pointed out, and Lily's parents eyes widened.

"What?" Andrew choked, and Lily widened her eyes at him. James pulled out their envelopes from behind his back, and Lily grinned gratefully at him.

"I figured parents would want to see," he shrugged, and Lily laughed. Andrew grabbed Lily's envelope eagerly and ripped it open. He pulled out her NEWT results and grinned down at them.

"That's my girl," he said quietly to himself, proudly, and Lily flushed. Andrew handed the parchment to Jane, who looked down at them and grinned proudly.

"We've never had to worry about you with this," she smiled, looking up at her daughter tearfully. Andrew was looking down at all the job offers with wide eyes.

"So which one did you pick?" he breathed.

"Auror," Lily said happily, and Andrew ran his hand through his hair.

"Are you sure?" he asked warily, and Lily frowned at her father.

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous, I don't want anything happening to you," he said, looking up at his daughter earnestly, and Lily felt her heart melt.

"Daddy I'll be fine," she said, and Andrew nodded, taking a deep breath before smiling.

"Congratulations sweetheart," he grinned, kissing his daughter's forehead.

"MRS. EVANS!" Jane looked up as Hestia crashed into her.

"Hestia darling it's so great to see you!" Jane said happily, hugging Hestia tightly, "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too!" Hestia squealed, and then turned to Andrew, "HI!" she yelled, and Andrew laughed.

"HELLO!" he yelled back, and Hestia grinned. Sirius had followed Hestia out of the castle, carrying four graduation gowns, feeling like a pack mule.

"Oh god, Lily who is _that?" _Jane asked Lily, and James snickered.

"That, mother, is James's best mate Sirius Black, who is also Hestia's boyfriend," Lily said, and Jane's eyes widened.

"Maybe I should've been a witch," Jane mused, "So many attractive boys," she said, looking at both James and Sirius, and Andrew choked.

"Hest you cant just _run _and leave me with your bloody gown," Sirius grumbled, and then looked up. He noticed Jane's hair and a smile split across his face, "Mama Evans!" he said happily, and Jane flushed. Sirius hugged Jane in a very Sirius manner, and Jane laughed, shocked.

"It's nice to meet you," she grinned, charmed instantly.

"Likewise," Sirius said, taking a bow, and Andrew chuckled, "You must be the great Papa Evans!" he said, and Andrew nodded, "I see where Lily gets her manly features," Sirius said, and Lily shrieked.

"Sirius!"

"Love you too Lily-flower," Sirius winked, and Lily turned to glare at a grinning James as Andrew and Jane laughed.

"We're going to go," Hestia muttered, grabbing her boyfriend by the hair.

"HEST! HAIR!" he shrieked, pulling her off him. He fixed his hair and then narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend, in front of the amused parents.

"It will live," Hestia muttered, pulling Sirius in the direction of the Entrance Hall. Three people, however, stopped the couple, "MUM! DAD!" Hestia squealed, hugging her parents, and Sirius felt his palms sweat. He had never met girls' parents before. Then again, he had never liked a girl enough to want to meet their parents. Sirius looked down at the third person that looked around 10.

"Hey," he said to the child, who looked up at him, "I'm Sirius"

"I'm notinterested," the child said, crossing his arms, and Hestia pulled away from her parents to glare at her little brother. Much to the family's surprise, Sirius snickered.

"I like you," Sirius said, and the child flushed, and smiled at Sirius.

"I'm Tyler," he said, and Sirius grinned, holding out his hand. The child took Sirius's hand and shook it.

"That's a first," Hestia muttered, and Sirius grinned at her.

"What can you say, love, I'm just special," he said, and Hestia giggled.

"I thought you were Sirius"

"That I am," Sirius said solemnly, and Tyler laughed, "I think your brother likes me better than you"

"I do," Tyler nodded, and Hestia shrieked in indignation, "Kidding sis," Tyler grinned, and Hestia smiled. Her parents cleared their throats, looking at Sirius with amused expressions, and Hestia jumped.

"Oh! Mum, Dad, this is Sirius Black," Hestia said, looking at her parents, and Sirius looked at her expectantly, "My boyfriend," she added, and Sirius grinned satisfactorily, holding his hand out to her parents. Hestia's mum, predictably, grabbed his hand enthusiastically and shook it. Sirius noticed that Hestia was an exact copy of her mother, just like James was of Daniel.

"Nice to meet you mum," he said charmingly, and she smiled.

"Likewise Sirius, I'm Helen." Sirius grinned at her and then took Hestia's fathers hand, albeit nervously.

"Great to meet you," he said stiffly; he was, after all, very protective of his daughter, "I'm Mr. Jones." Sirius had to stifle an eye-roll; he hated fathers who were too protective, it irritated him. Hestia whimpered a little as she saw Sirius's expression harden.

"That's a lovely first name," Sirius said sarcastically, and the family froze, before Mr. Jones burst into laughter. Hestia shook her head, grinning; Sirius was the only guy who had ever managed to break the ice with her father.

"Nice to meet you son, I'm John," he said, in a friendly voice, and Sirius shook his hand happily.

"Sirius we have to go," Hestia said, grabbing Sirius' arm, and Sirius sighed.

"I don't want to graduate!" he whined, and the Jones's laughed.

"I don't care," Hestia declared, and pushed her boyfriend.

"Hestia, _what are you wearing?" _her mother shrieked, and Hestia grinned cheekily before running into the castle.

"I tried to control her, I really did," Sirius said earnestly, as Hestia dragged him away, and the Jones's smiled.

"Nice boy," Mr. Jones said for the first time in seven years, "Oh look! Andrew and Jane!" he said happily; he had always liked Lily's parents. Helen Jones turned to look as Tyler ran to find a good seat, where he could make faces at his sister, "let's go say hi," he said, and Helen grabbed his arm.

"They're busy, looks like Hestia's not the only one with a boyfriend," Helen said, looking at the tall, and rather attractive boy standing next to her redhead god-daughter.

"I want to meet the young man," he said, looking at his own goddaughter, and Helen shook her head.

"Let them meet him first," she said. They watched as two others walked over to them and then giggled, "Looks like our dear Lily is going to be rather nervous right about now." As it turns out, they were right.

"You must be the Evans's!" Lily, James, Andrew and Jane jumped as Daniel Potter held his hand out, "I'm Daniel, James's father," he said, holding out his hand, and Jane turned to look at Lily with wide eyes, and Lily grinned, knowing exactly what was on her mothers mind. It was true, James looked exactly like his father, and yes, James was extremely attractive, which could only mean that Daniel was as well.

"Honestly Daniel, you're so irritating," Emily muttered, walking over, and grinning at Lily's parents, "Hi, I'm Emily, James's mother, its so nice to meet you," she smiled, and the Evans's grinned. They shook hands awkwardly before Emily noticed Lily, "LILY!" she squealed, pulling Lily in for a hug. Lily's parents watched, smiling, as the Potters embraced their daughter, "Oh I've missed you. I have nobody to talk to. I'm stuck with Daniel," she groaned, and Daniel gasped.

"Sorry dad," James said, patting his father on the back, and Daniel pouted.

"Things we have to live through," he said dejectedly to Andrew, who laughed.

"Couldn't agree more," Andrew grinned, clapping Daniel on the back.

"Dad loves muggle inventions," James said, trying to strike up conversation, and Andrew's eyebrows raised.

"I would've thought you had everything," Andrew chuckled, and Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"Muggles have fascinating inventions!"

"How about you come over for tea sometime?" Jane asked, smiling sweetly at Daniel, and Daniel looked at Lily and James excitedly. Emily chuckled and hugged Jane.

"You and your daughter have beautiful hair," Emily said, eyeing Jane's hair. She looked down at the envelope that Jane was holding and her eyes widened, "JAMES YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU RECEIVED YOUR NEWT RESULTS!" she shrieked at her son, and James hid behind Lily.

"Chivalrous," Daniel snorted, and Andrew grinned. The two fathers had formed a friendship so quickly it was a miracle. Andrew winked at Lily, who grinned at her dad.

"Isnt he?" Lily said sarcastically, and Jane laughed.

"Maybe we should find you another one," she said seriously, and Emily laughed.

"A monkey would be less cowardly," she nodded, and James shrieked.

"Mum!"

"Emily, you can't embarrass a bloke in front of the girls parents," Daniel sighed, and Emily shrugged.

"I've embarrassed him in front of the girl, what does it matter now?" she said sweetly, and Andrew laughed.

"I have to agree, embarrassment in front of the girl is worse," he said, and Jane shook her head.

"Only for you, considering the things you did to embarrass yourself in front of the girl, honestly," Jane said, and Emily laughed.

"I think we'll get on swell," Emily grinned, and Jane smiled at her, "It'll make wedding planning so much fun!" Emily squealed, and both Lily and James turned red as the parents laughed at their embarrassed children.

"We're going to go…um…" Lily said, looking down at the floor.

"Graduate?" James laughed, "Merlin Lily you forgot we were going to graduate?"

"Shut up James I blanked out!" she yelled, and James rolled his eyes, "I already passed my NEWTS," she pointed out, and James sighed, resigned.

"Speaking of," Daniel said looking at his son. James handed his father the envelope, and then grabbed Lily's hand.

"We're going to go _graduate_," he said, enunciating for Lily, who stuck her tongue out at him. James laughed, and draped his arm around her shoulder, "See you later!" he yelled over his shoulder, and the parents waved.

"So where shall we sit?" Emily asked.

"JANE! ANDREW!" The Evans turned quickly to see the Jones waving them over from the first row.

"Who are they?" Daniel muttered to Andrew as they made their way over to the couple yelling them over.

"Hestia's parents," Andrew answered, and Emily's eyes widened.

"Here we go again dear," Emily grinned, and Daniel laughed.

"We adopted Sirius," Daniel explained, and Jane frowned.

"What about his parents?"

"They disowned him, dark wizards," Emily muttered, and Jane nodded.

"Such a great boy," Andrew said, shaking his head. Daniel nodded in agreement, as they reached the Jones and begun round two of meet the parents.

* * *

"Lily I'm so nervous!" Hestia squealed, as the Gryffindors stood in a circle before walking out for graduation. They were all wearing their graduation gowns now. All the houses had different gowns; based on what house they were in. The Slytherins robes were emerald and green, Ravenclaws were grey and navy blue, Hufflepuffs were black and yellow, and the Gryffindors, of course, were in crimson and gold. However, all the gowns, which were open like coats, showing the outfits the students were wearing underneath, had the Hogwarts crest encrusted above the breast, where, on the Hogwarts uniform, the houses crest would be. Lily had been extremely thrilled to see that, even at Hogwarts, they wore graduation hats like they did in the muggle world, with a flat square on top with a tassel hanging off. The hats were all black, the tassels ranging in colour based on house.

"Me too," Lily choked, looking around, "I cant believe we're done"

"Believe it baby," Sirius said, throwing his arm around Lily, "We're going to be _graduates! _Bloody hell we're going to be _Aurors!" _Lily giggled as Sirius swung her around and hugged him.

"I'm going to miss you," she said, and Sirius shook his head.

"No you're not, because I'm not going anywhere," he said, tapping her on the nose, before leaning over to Hestia, "And you have no reason to be nervous, you will be fantastic, and I love you," he said, kissing her, and Hestia smiled, kissing her boyfriend back.

"Why is he so bloody confident?" Peter asked, fiddling with his gown.

"Because he is Sirius Black," James said, and Sirius grinned at him

"This is how I know you're my best mate," Sirius said, "Thanks for being such a great mate," Sirius said, looking at James, who grinned, his eyes twinkling.

"Right back at you mate, I don't know what I would've done without you," James said, and the two hugged, and it wasn't a manly hug, it was a real hug, "And you guys too," James said, looking at Remus and Peter, hugging them as well, "And _you,_" James said, turning to look at Lily, who jumped.

"Yes?"

"If it wasn't for you, Hogwarts wouldn't have been Hogwarts," he said, wrapping his arms around her, and Lily smiled, feeling a tear escape her eyes.

"Ditto," she said, and James looked down at her lovingly.

"Seventh years!" they jumped as McGonagall addressed all the seventh years, "it's time," she said, and they all lined up in alphabetical order. Lily found herself next to Anna Daniels, who was in between her and Amos Diggory, and smiled at her.

"Hi Lily!" Anna whispered. She had no hard feelings about the Remus thing; in fact, Anna Daniels was currently in a relationship with none other than Amos Diggory. Amos grinned at Lily and held his hand out.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I want us to finish on good terms," he said, and Lily grinned at him, taking his hand.

"Happy graduation," she said, and Amos grinned. The Gryffindors, who had been spying on Lily's little exchange, smiled slightly.

"Ehem!" they all jumped and turned back, having all started their own little conversations, and looked at McGonagall slightly guiltily. After seven years at Hogwarts, their fear of the woman had not decreased. McGonagall smiled around at the seventh years, her eyes lingering on her Gryffindors, and felt tears well up, "It has been a pleasure teaching you all," she said, "Congratulations. Now," she said, clapping her hands and clearing her throat, "you will all follow me out and take your seats. You will file into the first row," she said, looking at the front of the line, "And the rest of you will follow, sitting in the rows behind, and so on. Once you have been handed your diploma, you are to stand off to the side, your order will not matter after that," she said, and they all nodded.

"LETS GO GRADUATE!" Sirius yelled, and they all cheered. McGonagall turned to glare at him, her heart aching as she realized it would be one of the last times. Sirius winked at her and she had to restrain a smile, as usual.

"Follow me," she said, turning around.

"Minerva I really like your dress," Lily heard Sirius said, and giggled.

"He's insane," Anna said, holding Amos's hand behind her. Lily nodded, and the two girls, and Amos, smiled together as they walked out into the courtyard. The seventh years filed onto stage to the applause of the parents, and the music that was playing, and took their seats. Lily smiled down at the first row, where her parents, Hestia's parents and James's parents were sitting together. Her father had a muggle camera out, while James's and Hestia's had a wizard one, and the two of them were snapping photos faster than paparazzi did. The three mothers were silently crying into lace handkerchiefs, and Tyler was squishing bugs with the toes of his shoes. Once they were all seated, Lily heard a trumpet like sound in the back and looked up to see Hagrid, in his horrible 'best' suit, blowing into his tablecloth sized blanket. She craned her neck and caught Hestia's, Sirius's and James's eyes, and grinned at them, only to have them grin back.

"Ladies, Gentlemen," Dumbledore said, standing up. Lily saw her parents eyes widen as they took him in and giggled, having muggles there made everything so much more amusing. She felt a pang as she realized her sister hadn't come to her graduation, but brushed it off. She and Petunia had had their goodbye, "Today is a festive event, a graduation, a moving on, a new beginning," he said, looking at the seventh years, "I would make a grand speech, but I believe I would not be able to pinpoint the journey as well as they could," he said, gesturing to the seventh years, "So two of their own will sum it up for you," he said. Lily felt her stomach flip, and looked around the audience. She saw Marlene McKinnon, and Tonks, and many more, including the entire Gryffindor Quidditch Team, sitting in the audience, and grinned. It really had been a great seven years, "I would like to invite up, our Head Boy and Head Girl of 1979," he said, and Lily saw her parents, and James's parents smile, "Mr. James Potter, and Ms. Lily Evans."

James and Lily stood up, and made their way over to Dumbledore. James grabbed Lily's hand and squeezed it, and Lily grinned at him. Dumbledore smiled down at them, before taking a step back. Lily and James looked at each other expectantly, and the Class of 1979 laughed as they had a silent fight as to who would go first.

"As you can see, nobody ever grows up," Dumbledore chuckled, looking at the two, and they grinned at him cheekily, "Ladies first," he said, and Lily turned to narrow her eyes at James, and as he chuckled, she pulled her hand out of his, much to the crowds amusement, and panicked. How was she going to pull her wand out of her neckline with everyone watching her? James chuckled, sensing her dilemma, and pointed his wand at her throat. Lily grinned at him before clearing her throat, jumping internally as it resounded around the grounds. Silence fell over the audience, and she looked at her father, who winked at her. Lily took a deep breath before beginning the speech she had written on her first day at Hogwarts.

"I remember walking through the doors of the Great Hall on my first day at Hogwarts, when I was eleven. I was enchanted. Coming from the muggle world, everything about this magical world was scaring me, but mostly, it was taking me over. I remember walking through the doors of the Great Hall, and the first thing I thought was, 'I need to use the bathroom'," she said, and the audience chuckled, "I remember looking up and the enchanted ceiling, and wondering if the school just opened up into the night sky. I remember sitting on the three-legged stool, and giving myself half-moon cuts on my palms because of my fingernails digging into them," she smiled to herself as the audience chuckled once more, "Most of all, I remember feeling at home right after I had been sorted. It's now seven years later, and we've all been through so much," she continued, her eyes flickering over her friends, The Marauders, the people she didn't like, and Severus, "Seven years is a long time, and we've all grown up with each other, and we've seen each other through friends, grades, boyfriends," she said, and Sirius whistled, triggering chuckles, "We've been through some serious burns in Potions, nasty trips to the hospital wing after Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms, fallen asleep in History of Magic and Divination," she grinned, and the whole year laughed, "We're graduating today, but we're going to be Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins forever. Hogwarts has become our home over the past few years, and although it's ending, our life out there is beginning. And as afraid, and probably allergic, as I am to making mistakes," she said, and James snorted, "Now is the time to do that," she said proudly, and the seventh years whooped, "Now is the time to become a Auror and realize that you actually wanted to be a Healer. Now is the time to get lost somewhere and be late to your first day at work. Now is the time to fall in love, and fall out of love, and fall in love _again_," she said, and grinned at James, who winked at her, "Now is the time to realize that the stupid boy who has been irritating you is really the person you love," she said, and the people of Hogwarts, as well as James's parents, chuckled, as James eyes twinkled at her, "When I was five, I wanted to be a fire truck," she said, and everybody laughed, "When I was ten, I wanted to be a ballerina," she said, and people smiled at her, "And to be honest, I'm still debating those options," she said, and the audience laughed, "There's nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to be, how could you? We're only seventeen! Now is the time to choose the wrong profession and then switch back. Now is the time to figure everything out, so that later in life, everything falls into place," she smiled, and the seventh years looked at each other, "It's been hard, the past seven years, I'll admit. But we've made great friends, we've grown into a family, and we've figured ourselves out. We've made it a great few years, and I can't be happier that I got to experience them here," she grinned, and the audience burst into applause. James pulled her in for a hug, and she hugged him back, feeling tears in her eyes.

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said, wiping at his eyes, and Lily grinned at him. She turned to look at Sirius, who winked at her, and Hestia, who gave her two-thumbs up. James cleared his throat and turned around to face the audience.

"I'm not going to give the traditional speech," he said, and Lily grinned. She honestly had no idea what to expect from James's speech and neither did anyone else. What does a Marauder say after seven years of notorious pranking? "I'm not going to stand up here and recount my years at Hogwarts. I'm not going to stand up here and say inspirational words. I'm going to stand up here, and spend my last few minutes as a student of Hogwarts reliving my best times at Hogwarts," he grinned, and behind him, the Marauders grinned, "On the Hogwarts Express when I was eleven, I met my best mate, Sirius Black," he said, gesturing to Sirius, who stood up. Obviously, this had been planned, "When we got sorted, I met Remus John Lupin and Peter Pettigrew," he said, and those two boys stood as well, and walked over to James, "These three, along with me, James Potter, formed the Notorious Marauders," he said, and everyone cheered, "Lily here," he said, gesturing to Lily, who blushed, "Spent her years at Hogwarts learning, studying, concentrating, like everyone else. I, on the other hand, spent my years here teasing teachers, pulling pranks, sneaking out, throwing parties and messing up the school," he grinned, and the audience burst into laughter, "We were so bad at one time, that my parents received 19 owls from Hogwarts in one day. If you don't believe me, ask them," he said, and everyone laughed, "I cant believe I'm leaving here, because I found my family here," he said, looking at his Marauders, and they all grinned at each other, "I also found the love of my life here," he said, and Lily choked. Did he actually say that? The audience smiled as he looked over at the blushing Lily, and grinned, "That redhead girl over there, hated me for six years," he said bluntly, and everyone laughed, "And I don't blame her. I was a nutter around her. I haven't been able to take my eyes off her since I saw her for the first time when I was eleven, on the Hogwarts Express. I asked her out for the first time on our first day," he said, and the audience laughed, as did everyone else, "I emphasize the point _the first time. _I've asked that girl out more times than I can count," he said.

"I can, he's asked her out 2,753 times," Sirius interjected, and the audience laughed.

"Thanks mate," James said, turning to Sirius, who shrugged, "So, I wasn't kidding," he grinned, "I teased her, I irritated her, I made her want to kill me at times, but it finally paid off," he shrugged, and Lily laughed, "Six years of 'What part of _no_ do you not understand, Potter?' later," he said, and Lily flushed, "I somehow became Head Boy," he said, "I still don't know how it happened, and I'm still partially convinced that someone confounded Professor Dumbledore," he said, and Dumbledore chortled, his blue eyes twinkling, "But thanks to what was probably a mistake, Lily Evans was stuck with me for a whole year, and I finally got her," he grinned, looking at Lily, "Lily I love you," he said, and Lily beamed as the audience 'aww-ed', "So I'm ready to graduate. I got everything I wanted here, I got amazing friends, I got a beyond amazing girlfriends, I got fully educated," he added, smiling cheekily at McGonagall, who rolled her eyes, "And now, I'm ready to go out there and make history…Marauder style," he grinned, and the audience clapped.

"I'd just like to add," Sirius said

"Mr. Black you are not Head Boy!" McGonagall yelled, walking over to them, and Sirius sighed

"Good thing too, then there would be rules," he said, shuddering, and McGonagall's mouth twitched as everyone else laughed, "But I'm still adding something Professor," he said. The use of the word 'Professor' seemed to have stunned McGonagall into silence, as she didn't say anything else. With that, Sirius, Remus, James and Peter pulled out their wands.

"Oh no," Dumbledore chuckled, and everybody laughed. The boys raised their wands, and Lily braced herself.

"Marauders Class of 1979!" They yelled in unison, and waved their wands. A resounding BANG echoed around the grounds causing the birds in the trees to fly out, frightened. Lily watched as chaos flew out of the Marauders wands. Firecrackers started to fly around, causing loud banging as well as sparks and other strange noises. A large hazy lion flew around, roaring in everyone's face. Brooms, Snitches, Bludgers and Quaffles were flying in the air, miraculously not hitting anybody. The Hogwarts Crest rose high in the air and the grass had suddenly turned crimson and gold. The streamers had come to life and were dancing around, flying in the air. Suddenly, everything stopped, going back to normal, and up in the air, hovering above them:

_Marauders, Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Class of 1979_

The seventh years had tears in their eyes, the teachers were crying, the audience was emotional and laughing. Lily was wiping tears off her face. Hestia was grinning around, tears streaming down her face. And the Marauders, oh, the Marauders, were standing there, arm in arm, grinning at each other.

"LAST MARAUDER PRANK AS HOGWARTS STUDENTS!" Sirius yelled, and everyone burst into applause. The Marauders looked at each other, and burst out laughing, hugging each other. It was an emotional moment.

"Now, for graduation." Dumbledore said simply, looking at the students with tears in his eyes, "Students sit here before me, sorted into different houses. People are all the same, but it's the values that they possess, and the characteristics, that make them people. Those who are in Slytherin, value ambition, cunning, leadership, resourcefulness, and, most of all, pure wizard blood," Dumbledore said, and the seventh year Slytherins stood up, to quiet applause from the audience. Lily clapped politely, but the Marauders didn't even bother, just glared at them, "Ravenclaws," he said, and Anna Daniels and the rest of the Ravenclaws stood up, "Are people of intelligence, creativity, learners, and witty," he said, and they were received with applause, "Hufflepuffs," he said, and next to Lily, Amos Diggory stood up, as did the rest of the Hufflepuffs, "Hufflepuff values hard work, tolerance, loyalty and fair play," Dumbledore continued, and Sirius snorted delicately, eying Amos Diggory, "And last but certainly not least, Gryffindors." The Gryffindors stood up.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius and James cheered, and the rest of the Gryffindors cheered with them. Dumbledore watched the two, grinning, and winked before continuing.

"Our Gryffindors are courageous, brave, loyal, chivalrous, and possess a lot of nerve," he said, eying James and Sirius on the word 'nerve', and they grinned cheekily. The Gryffindors stood proudly, looking around at the audience. Lily's parents grinned at her and she smiled back at them. Jane Evans was sobbing into a handkerchief. Andrew Evans had red eyes. Lily looked at James's parents, and they winked at her. Emily was also crying, and Daniel was shamelessly sobbing into his wife's lace napkin. Lily grinned at him and he stuck his tongue out at her. By now, all the seventh years were standing up, "I present to you, the Class of 1979," Dumbledore said, waving his arm, and the audience burst into applause. James and Sirius cheekily took bows, and Lily rolled her eyes as people chuckled. Why was she dating such a nutter?

Slowly, the Heads of Houses stepped forwards, and after saying a few words, Dumbledore stepped forwards once more and began to call out names.

"Mr. Sirius Black, Gryffindor!" he said, and Sirius sauntered forwards, looking extremely handsome. Lily cheered along with Hestia and the rest of the Marauders as Sirius walked forwards, and Sirius turned to grin at his friends, his family, "Congratulations, you made it," Dumbledore said, and Sirius laughed. He shook hands with Dumbledore and walked over to McGonagall. Sirius took his diploma, and without a word to McGonagall, began to make his way off the stage.

"Mr. Black!" Sirius jumped and turned around to face McGonagall, "So after seven years of sexual harassment, you say _nothing!" _she screeched, and Lily laughed along with everyone else. Sirius grinned widely and looked down at her.

"Minerva my love, I was keeping it quiet so you wouldn't get in trouble! After all, I've graduated now, and our love isn't forbidden," he winked, and to tremendous applause, and a satisfied watery grin from a sobbing McGonagall, kissed her on the cheek, and walked off the stage. Dumbledore chuckled and wiped his eyes, before turning back to the list.

"Ms. Anna Daniels, Ravenclaw!"

"Mr. Amos Diggory, Hufflepuff!"

Lily closed her eyes and waited patiently, feeling butterflies in her stomach and a wide smile on her face. She was going to graduate.

"Ms. Lily Evans, Gryffindor, Head Girl!" Dumbledore called, and Lily walked forwards, receiving more applause than anybody had yet. She looked down to see her parents, her godparents, and James's parents cheering for her. Tyler was standing up on the chair yelling and clapping. She heard The Marauders, Hestia, Alice, Frank, Marlene, Tonks, Hagrid, and all her other friends in her year and in the audience cheer, and grinned to herself. She looked up and saw Severus Snape grinning widely at her and smiled at him, before turning to Dumbledore, "Congratulations," Dumbledore said, shaking her hand, and Lily grinned widely at her.

Lily walked over to McGonagall, who handed her the diploma with tears in her eyes, "Congratulations Lily," McGonagall sniffed, and Lily smiled, and threw herself onto McGonagall, hugging her.

"Thank you Professor," Lily whispered, and McGonagall nodded dumbly, sobbing. Lily let go of McGonagall and smiled at her, before walking off the stage. She ran into Sirius's arms and Sirius swung her around happily. They had graduated.

"Ms. Hestia Jones, Gryffindor!"

"YEAH!" Sirius yelled next to her, and Lily giggled, and screamed along with Sirius. After all, nobody could tell them to be quiet, nobody here had authority over them anymore. Hestia grinned, and after being handed her diploma, sprinted over to them. She ran over and put an arm around each of them, and they all squealed in a group hug. Hestia let go of Lily and kissed Sirius, who took a step away, "Your dad's here!" he hissed, and Hestia laughed, before turning to hug Lily.

"Mr. Frank Longbottom, Gryffindor!" Lily clapped and screamed again with Sirius and Hestia, and Frank grinned, before running over to them.

"Mr. Remus John Lupin, Gryffindor!"

"YEAH MOONY!" Sirius yelled, and Lily, Hestia and Frank cheered along with him. Remus grinned at them, and after being handed his diploma, sprinted off the stage. Remus and Sirius caught each other in brotherly hugs.

"WE GRADUATED!" Remus yelled happily, and Sirius nodded dumbly. Remus yelled out happily and hugged Lily, then Hestia, and then Frank.

"Now we have a bloody long wait," Sirius muttered, crossing his arms. James, who seemed to know what Sirius was thinking, grinned.

"Think of it this way Sirius, he's still in school, we're not," Lily winked, and Sirius laughed, throwing his arm around Lily.

"I like how you think Lily-flower." They stood there, watching and clapping politely as people graduated and ran screaming into their friend's arms. Finally, they made it to the P's.

"Mr. Peter Pettigrew, Gryffindor!"

"YEAH!" Sirius and Remus yelled, and Peter laughed. He grabbed his diploma and ran off the stage to his best mates. The three Marauders hugged each other happily. Peter then hugged Lily, Hestia and Frank before turning back. After all, three of their friends were in the P's.

"Mr. James Potter, Gryffindor, Head Boy!"

"YEAH FOR PRONGS! LAST MARAUDER TO GRADUATE!" Sirius, Remus and Peter yelled, and James guffawed as the crowd laughed. James shook his head fondly, shook Dumbledore's hand, and walked over to McGonagall. McGonagall sobbed as she handed him his diploma and he grinned at her, before running off the stage to his friends. James crashed into the other three Marauders creating a sound that sounded like boulders smashing into each other.

"OH MY MERLIN WE DID IT!" James screamed, and the Marauders laughed, jumping up and down happily. James let go of the Marauders and hugged Hestia and Frank. He turned to Lily and pulled her into his arms in a hug. He turned his back to the audience and kissed her so nobody, especially their parents would see. Lily giggled and hugged him tightly.

"Sneaky," she winked, and James grinned at her.

"Lily we graduated!"

"We did!" she said just as excitedly, hugging James again. James let go of her as the person before Alice was called up and walked over to Sirius. The two of them looked at each other for a few moments, before silently pulling each other in for a brotherly, emotional hug.

"Thanks for being my best mate,"

"Thank you for being mine"

"Ms. Alice Prewett, Gryffindor!" They all shrieked of happiness as their last one graduated. Alice screamed and ran down into Lily and Hestia's arms. The girls screamed together.

"Mr. Severus Snape, Slytherin!" Lily looked up and caught Snapes eye. Snape looked into Lily Evans's green eyes and graduated looking into them, the same way he had entered Hogwarts. Some things would never change.

"Class of 1979, you have graduated," Dumbledore said, and they all screamed, throwing their hats into the air.

"THE MARAUDERS AND THE MARAUDERETTES HAVE GRADUATED!" they yelled together, laughing.

"I cant believe it's over," Lily squealed, as she held on to James as hats rained around them.

"It's not over Lils, its just started," he said, before leaning down and kissing her.

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Hey everybody, this was emotional. I'm so sorry if its cheesy, but they graduated. Thank you for reading. One more chapter…(eep)**


	30. Flower and Prongs

**Hey you guys. This is the last chapter. I'll post my A/N at the end.**

**Anana553- Ha-ha Disney songs ARE awesome, as are the movies. Enough said. I'll talk to you on the sequel, you know, if you read it (: Please do!**

**JUST WANT TO SAY how everyone associated Lily's graduation speech with the speech in Eclipse…yeah I haven't watched that movie :p I thought the movies ruined the books so I didn't watch after New Moon. So I guess it's just a strange coincidence then (:**

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Disclaimer: For the last time (literally), I do not own Harry Potter…like at all.**

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Previously:**_

_They graduated_

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"Mum!" Lily squealed throwing herself into her mothers' arms after the ceremony was over.

"Oh, my baby, you graduated!" her mother sobbed into her shoulder. Her father came up and put his arms around both of his women, hugging them.

"Daddy you're squishing me!" Lily squealed, and Andrew chuckled a watery chuckle, "Daddy, don't cry!" Lily whined, and Andrew coughed.

"Who's crying?" he said in a manly, deep voice.

"I believe you are Papa E," Sirius grinned, walking over to them. Andrew narrowed his eyes at Sirius.

"I was not," he said.

"You sound like dad," James grinned, walking over to them. Jane squealed and hugged James, and Lily rolled her eyes, "Told you your parents like me better," James teased Lily over her mother's head, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, your parents like her better," said Emily, putting her arm around Lily. Daniel walked over and grinned at Lily, and at his sons 'hurt' expression.

"You graduated!" he said, looking at all of the Gryffindors who were gathered together. Alice's mother, Remus's parents, Hestia's parents, Peter's mother and Frank's parents were also there, "How the bloody hell did that happen?" he asked, looking around at the children he'd watch grow up, the Marauders. James shrugged and grinned at his dad, who turned his back to them.

"What is he doing?" Lily asked, and James sniggered.

"He's crying." Lily looked at James sternly, and he grinned.

"Crying is expressing that you're comfortable with your manliness," Daniel said in a choked voice, turning around and wiping at his face, "And I'm sorry I get emotional that my son and his stupid crazy friends have graduated," he said defiantly, sticking his chin out, and Lily grinned at how he looked exactly like James when he did that.

"Anyway," Helen said, trying to ease the poor man of his pain, "Congratulations boo!" she squealed, hugging Hestia, who turned bright red and looked at the snickering Sirius.

"Mum!" Hestia whined, pushing her mother off her and walking over to hug Lily, "Everyone's embarrassing me," she cried to her best friend, who hugged her sympathetically.

"I know the feeling," Lily said, glaring at her parents, who shrugged.

"Anyway, we're off now," said Emily, clapping her hands together, and James raised his eyebrows

"Where are you going?"

"The Evans's," Daniel said excitedly, grinning at Lily, whose jaw dropped.

"Why?" Lily shrieked, looking at her father, who grinned at her.

"So dad can play with the muggle stuff," James said cheekily, looking at his father, who glared at his son, flushing slightly.

"Because we have bonding to do," Jane said, smiling at her daughter, who looked over at James, who looked just as dumbstruck as she felt.

"Pumpkin we're going anyway, you might as well get used to it," Emily said, grinning at James. James flushed slightly at the use of his nickname, and Lily giggled. Emily smiled down at Lily and Andrew sighed as he realized Lily was truly a grown up now.

"No baby pictures," Lily said, glaring at her father, who grinned.

"Scouts honour," he said, holding up his hand

"You're not a scout," Hestia said, and Andrew turned to narrow his eyes at her as his wife and daughter laughed at him.

"I missed out okay?" Andrew said.

"What's a scout?" Daniel asked excitedly. Emily rolled her eyes and squeezed Lily's shoulders, causing Lily to giggle.

"Bye!" Emily said, changing the topic before Andrew could explain it, or her husband wet himself out of excitement. She pulled Lily in for a hug, "I'll see you soon," she said, before heading over to hug the rest of the kids. Lily's parents followed suite, as did Hestia's.

"Bye sweetheart," Jane said, holding her daughters face in both her hands, "I'll see you at Kings Cross." Jane kissed her daughter on the cheek before turning around to hug Sirius, who was grumbling because Hestia's mother had ruffled and messed up his hair on purpose.

"Take care flower," Andrew said, kissing his daughter's forehead, "Try not to murder Sirius?" he chuckled, as Lily narrowed her eyes as Sirius swung her mother around.

"I'll do my best," Lily promised, and Andrew laughed.

"See you in two days petal,"

"Bye daddy,"

"BYE!" Daniel said, jumping over to Lily and hugging her. Lily laughed, "Is there a _television _at your house? And a fellyphone?" he asked excitedly, and Lily grinned.

"It's a telephone," she said, and Daniel frowned and nodded.

"Thanks you just saved me a lot of embarrassment," he chuckled, and Lily laughed. Daniel smiled and pulled her in for a fatherly hug and she hugged him back.

Emily, who had been having a tearful (on her side) goodbye with her son, sighed and rolled her eyes at her husband. She walked over to Jane, who was now hugging her goddaughter Hestia. Jane let go of Hestia and grinned up at Emily, who was slightly taller than Lily, who was taller than Jane. Emily smiled happily and gave her husband, who was chatting with Lily excitedly about air-conditioning, a look. Daniel stopped talking instantly and looked down at the floor, wearing an expression that was appropriate at a funeral, "So we're off," Emily said.

"NO WAIT!" they jumped and looked at James, who had yelled out. James walked over to Andrew, and grabbed his arm, "Come on!" he said excitedly, and Andrew, who genuinely liked James and trusted him, grinned and allowed his daughters boyfriend to pull him off.

"James Potter where are you taking my father?" Lily yelled after him, and theyall heard James laugh, "I'm going to go make sure he doesn't scare dad," Lily said, and Emily laughd, "It's possible!" she said, and Emily chuckled, but nodded in all seriousness.

"If he permanently scars your husband, I want to apologize in advance," Daniel said, looking at Jane, who giggled. Lily rolled her eyes, honestly her mother was such a sap around attractive men. Lily sprinted after James and her father.

"Where are you _going?" _she asked as she caught up to them.

"Evans are you following me?" James asked cheekily, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yes James, I missed you," she assured him sarcastically. Andrew, who was watching his daughter, grinned, "Hi daddy," she said cheerfully, and Andrew chuckled, "So James where are you taking my father?" Lily asked, and James grinned.

"It's a surprise"

"Bloody hell James you're so irritating," Lily muttered, and James shrugged.

"Mr. Evans will like it," he said, and Andrew frowned.

"Name's Andrew son. Mr. Evans is my father," he said, and James laughed.

"Sorry Andrew," James said awkwardly, and Andrew grinned happily.

"So where are we going?" Lily asked again, and James huffed.

"Evans you're so irritating!" he said, and Lily giggled.

"Why do you call her Evans?" Andrew asked curiously, and James laughed.

"Back when she hated me, she used to call me Potter, so I called her Evans," he shrugged, and Andrew laughed.

"I cant believe you used to hate him," Andrew chuckled, and Lily flushed.

"No she didn't," James said happily, and Lily sighed, "She's like me since her second year. She just didn't know it," he said, and Andrew frowned.

"How did you know?"

"Petunia," Lily said, her heart aching at the fact that she hadn't used her nickname for her sister.

"Why is she Petunia?" Andrew asked, and Lily closed her eyes. James shook his head slightly and Andrew nodded in understanding.

"Because of Vermin," Lily said, and both men froze, before bursting into laughter.

"I've always hated vermin. They're disgusting. And they're everywhere," James said, and Lily giggled. Andrew smiled at the fact that Lily had found someone who could cheer her up. They rounded the corner and Lily rolled her eyes, of course, "Andrew, welcome to the Quidditch Pitch," James said, gesturing to the large field in front of them. Andrew squealed like a little girl and looked around the stadium.

"Am I allowed?" he asked, gesturing to the grass, and the students nodded. Andrew walked onto the field happily, absorbed in his own little bubble of fascination. Lily turned to James and grinned up at him.

"Thank you," she said, and James turned to look down at her. He gave her a small smile.

"I didn't do it for you," he said, nodding towards her father, who was grinning and looking up at the goal posts. Lily grinned and turned back to her father, "You want to try flying?" James called out, and Lily jumped.

"He can't fly!" Lily hissed, and James snorted.

"I meant with a broom," he said cheekily, and Lily rolled her eyes but felt a giggle bubble up her esophagus. Andrew's eyes had widened and James left Lily, to walk down onto the field with him. Lily sighed and pulled out her wand. She waved it and three brooms flew towards them, "Oh, thanks," James said, as Lily walked onto the field, "You're going too?" he asked, and Lily snorted.

"No the third one was for Nearly Headless Nick," she said, and James grinned.

"He doesn't need a broom," he said cheekily, and Lily sighed. There was really no point trying to use sarcasm on James sometimes.

"Yes James, it's for me," she said, and James grinned, knowing he'd won. She pulled out her wand and produced her patronus.

"Lily that's pretty!" her father said, walking over to the doe. Lily smiled at him as he admired the doe.

"It's my patronus," she said. She opened her mouth to explain what it was when her father nodded.

"It's what protects you right?" he asked, and both Lily and James looked at him, shocked, "I told you I read your textbooks, I was serious," he said, and Lily grinned as James chuckled. Lily shook her head and then her doe ran off.

"Where is it going?" James asked.

"I'm telling everyone where we are, we might be here a while," she said. James nodded happily and then turned to Andrew.

"So, you're going to learn how to fly!" he said, and Andrew grinned excitedly, "So, for starters, step next to a broom," he said. Andrew stumbled in his attempt to get to the brooms faster. He stopped next to one of them and Lily and James stood next to the other two, "Now, put your right hand out above the broom, and say up," James said. Lily was shocked to see her father's broom fly up after the first call, "Now mount it," James said, "like this." He swung one leg over the broom. Andrew followed suite and Lily threw one of her legs over the broom, and almost fell over in her attempt. She looked down and remembered she was wearing a strapless dress and stilettos. Lily put the broom down and walked away to observe.

"Lilykins aren't you going to fly?" Andrew asked excitedly, and Lily smiled at her father. He looked like a child.

"I can't in this daddy," she said, gesturing to her dress. Her father nodded and looked down at the broom. James, however, was looking at the dress, in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. His eyes moved down, and then up, and slowly met her eyes. Lily flushed as she met James's eyes and looked away quickly, to her father. James chuckled under his breath and turned back to Andrew.

"HELLO!" they turned around quickly to see Sirius skipping, yes, skipping, over to them, followed by everyone else.

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked, walking over to them. Sirius guffawed and sauntered over to her, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"You think I'd miss out on Papa E's first time in the air?" he asked, and then looked down at the third broom, "Who's is that?" he asked.

"It was mine, but I cant fly in this," she said, gesturing to her dress, and Sirius looked down at it appreciatively.

"I like it," he said. Lily saw James turn, mid-sentence, to glare at his best mate, who winked at him, "I'm sorry your girlfriend is attractive," he said, and James rolled his eyes, as Lily flushed. Andrew flushed at this comment and cleared his throat; how do you respond to someone calling your baby attractive? Sirius seemed to notice and smiled at Andrew apologetically, "Well I'll do it," he said happily, grabbing the broom.

"Sirius Black if he falls off because of your instruction I'll kill you," Emily said sternly, walking over, along with everyone else, to stand next to Lily. Jane looked at her husband on the broom warily, and Emily smiled at her, "I was kidding, he'll be fine," she said, and Jane nodded, reassured. She trusted the Potters.

"Alright Papa E let's do this!" Sirius said, walking over to be on the other side of Andrew.

"Padfoot I'm still explaining!" James said, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I've always thought the best way to learn was by trying,"

"I don't want him to die!" James said, and Sirius grinned.

"Right, I forgot about that," he said, and James rolled his eyes.

"Go fly Pads, I'll get him up in the air in a second," James said, and Sirius saluted, much to everyone's amusement, and took off. Andrew looked after him in wonder and turned to James.

"I want to do that!" he said excitedly, and Lily saw her mother snort.

"You will," James said patiently, "We're getting there. Now, you know about how to sit and how to accelerate and decelerate right?" he said, and Andrew nodded enthusiastically, trying to ignore Sirius, who was doing loopty-loops right above his head, "Now we're going to try actually getting off the ground," he said, and Andrew's eyes widened, "So you're going go kick off the floor gently, and hover for a few seconds, lean forward, and touch back down," he said, just as Hooch had taught them seven years ago. The students smiled at the memory. Andrew nodded and kicked off the ground, so he was hovering a foot off the ground.

"JANE I'M FLYING!" he yelled excitedly, and Jane grinned at her husband. Andrew had always wanted to fly. Back when they had been dating, he'd tried making plastic wings, which had resulted in him with a broken leg. James turned around to wink at Lily, who grinned at him, and Emily smiled at the two of them.

"Alright, now touch back down," James said. Andrew put his feet down, albeit reluctantly, "We'll be up in a second I promise," James assured him, and Andrew grinned, "just a few things. If you're falling, yell out. We'll get you," he said, gesturing to himself and Sirius, who had come down to hover next to James, "and I'm going to put a cushioning charm on the floor, so even if you do fall, you wont get hurt," James said, and Andrew frowned.

"Dad it'll be like falling onto a large cushion," Lily said, and Andrew nodded, relaxing. James turned around and mouthed 'thank you' to Lily, who rolled her eyes. Honestly that boy.

"You ready?" James asked, and Andrew nodded excitedly. Lily waved her wand and cast the cushioning charm, "Thanks," James grinned, and Lily shrugged, "Ready, set, kick!" Andrew kicked off from the ground and flew straight up into the air, a large grin on his face. Lily watched as her father flew around in the air.

Next to her, she could hear her mother talking to Emily and Daniel about Andrew's flying attempts, and rolled her eyes. She remembered one time when he had jumped off the roof and landed on cushions just to feel the wind in his hair. He had had a sore hip for days.

Out of nowhere, James came flying down and stopped in front of Lily, who screamed and jumped back as he scared her, causing him to smirk. He gestured behind her and Lily shook her head stubbornly, "James I cant I'm in a dress," she squealed, and James shrugged, "You're so irritating," she mumbled, crossing her arms. Emily, Daniel and Jane turned to watch the little couple, loving and amused smiles on their faces.

"Lily just get on the broom," James said, and Lily shook her head stubbornly, "Don't make me _make _you," he said in a low voice, and Lily felt a tingle flow through her body.

"Like you could," she challenged, and James sighed.

"You always make me do this," he said, and Lily shrugged. James, grumbling, flew into the air. Lily immensely satisfied with herself, relaxed, that is, until she felt an arm around her waist. She screamed as James's arm, which tightened around her waist, threw her over his shoulder, fireman-style, and he flew into the air. Lily watched as the ground became further and further away, and as the amused parents grinned after them.

"JAMES!" she screamed, and she felt his shoulders shake as he chuckled, "I'LL SIT ON THE BROOM! I PROMISE!" she screamed, and James, satisfied, put her down in front of him. He leaned over her, grabbing the broom, and continued to steer them. Lily giggled and allowed James to maneuver them around in the air.

"JAMES!" he turned towards the voice, and saw his mother gesturing at him wildly. He flew them down and Lily screamed, thinking they were going to crash into the ground, but James pulled up suddenly.

"Jerk," she muttered, climbing off the broom as James laughed at her. She stumbled over to Hestia, who giggled and threw her arm around her. Lily's hair and makeup was still intact thanks to the charm she'd used before.

"Yes mum?" James said, and Emily sighed.

"It's late, we have to go," she said, and James nodded. He flew up to get Andrew, who took a little persuasion, but eventually flew down.

"Thank you!" Andrew said, hugging James, and then ran over to his wife, "Did you see what I just did?" he asked excitedly, his green eyes, so like Lily's, extremely wide. Jane grinned and nodded, smiling at him. Andrew yelled happily and continued chatting about flying as they made their way back to the courtyard. It was almost empty now, so they decided to leave.

The parents all waved one final time, before walking towards the gates of Hogwarts.

"Boo?" Sirius smirked, looking at Hestia, who groaned.

"Lily!"

"I know," Lily said soothingly, and Hestia pouted.

"I need to borrow you," James said, looking pointedly at Lily. Sirius, Remus, Peter and Hestia snickered, and the couple ignored them.

"Okay," Lily grinned, and allowed James to take her hand and pull her towards the tree.

"Hestia, I need to borrow you as well," Sirius said, winking at Hestia, who laughed, and let her boyfriend pull her towards the clearing by the Dark Forest, while Alice, Frank, Peter and Remus continued to deal with their parents, who were still saying their goodbyes.

Once James had led Lily to a spot of the tree where nobody could see them, he turned to look down at her, holding her face delicately in both of his hands. Lily looked up into James' eyes, and saw her own green ones reflected in his glasses. She reached up carefully and removed his glasses, causing James to blink rapidly. Lily giggled and James shook his head.

"I was trying to have a romantic moment here," he said, narrowing his eyes at his girlfriend, who grinned.

"It's still romantic. It's just got a touch of humour," she pointed out, and James shook his head fondly.

"You're so strange Lily Evans"

"Is that why you love me?" she asked cheekily, putting her hands on top of his. James chuckled and shook his head

"That's not why I love you Lils,"

"Then why do you?" she challenged, and James sighed, taking his hands off her face and rubbing the back of his neck, still looking into her eyes.

"I can't sum it up," he finally said, and Lily shook her head.

"Not an acceptable answer," she said sternly, and James laughed.

"My apologies Evans, I'll make it up to you," he said earnestly, taking a step towards her. Lily took a step back and felt her back graze the tree trunk. James smirked down at her as he realized he had her cornered…again. Git. Lily grinned up at him and, as he leaned down to kiss her, she slid onto her bum, crawling around him and standing up. James dumbfounded, looked at his girlfriend, "How did you bloody escape?" he asked and Lily laughed.

"First time for everything," she grinned at him, and James pouted.

"I like cornering you!"

"You honestly think I don't know how to get away?" she asked, and James shook his head.

"In my mind you will never know how to get away," he said. Lily opened her mouth and James shoved his pinky fingers in his ears, "LA LA LA I cant hear you!" he said, closing his eyes, and Lily laughed.

"James!" she yelled, laughing, and walked over, trying to pull his fingers out of his ears, but James was stubborn and didn't budge, "James!" she yelled again, tugging on his arms. James spun in circles and Lily laughed, trying to catch his arm again. She caught his elbow and James, thrown off balance as she pulled him and slightly dizzy from the spinning, fell over, grabbing Lily in the process. Lily screamed as she was pulled down onto James, who had his eyes opened with a slightly dazed look in his eyes.

"Bloody hell I hate spinning," he groaned, covering his eyes with his arm, and Lily laughed.

"That was entirely your fault," she said, and James moved his arm to look at her and stuck his tongue out. Lily laughed again and James smiled.

"Why are you laughing so much?"

"I'm happy, I just graduated, and I realized how amazing my boyfriend is, why are you so happy?" she retorted, and James grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist, the two still lying in the grass.

"Because I fulfilled the vow I made in first year," he shrugged, his heart soaring under the compliment she had given him and Lily frowned. She stood up and James followed suite.

"What vow?" she asked. James looked into her eyes and took a step towards her.

"I vowed to have Lily Evans before I graduated," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. Lily flushed slightly and then pouted.

"I broke my vow," she sighed, and James frowned, "I swore to hate you for the rest of forever when I was in third year," she said, and James threw his head back and laughed, "I guess I still have reason to hate you," she said matter-of-factly, and James looked down at her, his eyes twinkling.

"And what would that be?"

"Well, other than the six years of pestering that you're going to have to make up," she said, causing James to grin, "I will forever hate you for something," she said, looking up into his shocked hazel eyes.

"What will you hate me for?"

"For making me fall in love with you James Potter. You were the last person I wanted to fall for, and I will _never _forgive you fo-" Lily was cut off by soft lips on her own, and hers turned up into a smile as they pulled back, "You interrupted me," she said, narrowing her eyes at him, and James chuckled.

"Sorry,"

"I don't accept," she said faux-crossly and James pouted

"How can I make it up to you?"

"You will be my slave for eternity," she said in a stern tone, and James grinned.

"As long as I'm with you for eternity, it's fine by me." Lily grinned up at James and got onto her tiptoes, reaching for his lips.

"No you're not allowed to snog sorry," Sirius said, striding over, his hand in Hestia's. Lily sighed, but James ignored his best mate and put his hands in Lily's hair, leaning down to meet her lips. Sirius huffed at his love-struck best friend and let go of Hestia's hand. He walked over so he was standing right next to the kissing couple, "YOU HAVE TO STOP!" he yelled, and the two jumped apart.

"Hestia!" Lily whined, turning to Hestia, who grinned.

"Sorry Lily, I haven't mastered the art of controlling him," she said, and Lily frowned at her.

"I'm disappointed in you," Lily muttered, and James grinned.

"Nobody's mastered the art of controlling him," James pointed out. Sirius grinned, grabbing Lily's hair and pulling her back from James.

"Damn it Sirius!" Lily yelled at him, rubbing her poor skull.

"Lily-flower we have to have a talk," Sirius said, and Lily giggled; this was how Sirius had been arranging their 'talking times', by making it sound serious.

"Why are you two always having intense discussions?" Remus asked, walking over to them. His folks had finally left, but Frank, Alice and Peter were still stuck.

"Where's everyone else?" Sirius asked, changing the topic hurriedly before James or Hestia could think too much about what Remus had said. Lily grinned at him and he winked, before turning his attention back to the conversation.

"Probably still being slobbered in sentiment," James said, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"'_Slobbered in sentiment'_? Nice one Prongs," Sirius said, clapping James on the back, and James smiled.

"Well you'll know all about slobbering," Hestia said, and then flushed as Lily laughed, "Oh shut up Evans," she said nastily, turning to her best friend, who only laughed harder.

"Lily?" Lily turned around quickly to see Tyler, Hestia's little brother, standing there.

"Tyler! I thought you all went home?" Hestia asked, and Tyler turned to look at her.

"We were going to but mum and dad wanted to talk to McGonagall," he said in a bored voice, and Hestia huffed

"What about?"

"It's either about me coming to Hogwarts this year or your boyfriend. I don't know, the conversation kept jumping," he said irritably, and Lily saw Sirius beam at the fact that Hestia's parents had been talking about him. Hestia nodded dumbly and Tyler turned back to Lily, who was having a quiet conversation with Remus.

"You wanted to talk to Lily?" James asked, slightly irritably, as he watched the child ogle his girlfriend.

"Oh, right, sorry Tyler I forgot," Lily said, turning to look at Tyler, smiling sweetly at him, "What did you want to tell me?"

"It's hard to say," Tyler said, twirling his toe into the grass, and she saw Sirius snicker and clap an irritated James on the back, "Basically, I think you're really pretty," he said to the grass, and Lily flushed.

"Thank you Tyler," Lily said sweetly, slightly embarrassed, and Tyler grinned at her.

"Are you going to come stay at our house again?" he asked, and Lily turned to look at Hestia, who was turning red in her attempt to hold in her laughter.

"I don't know," Lily said honestly, and Tyler frowned.

"Well I'll be at Hogwarts next year, so you can only visit during the holidays," he said, and Lily nodded.

"TYLER!" they heard a distant yell, and Tyler jumped.

"See you later," he said to everyone, "Bye," he waved to Lily, before running over to his mother. Once he was gone, Remus and Sirius started to snigger, loudly, and Hestia burst into a fit of giggles, while James just looked after the child, amused.

"Don't be so mean!" Lily squealed, smacking Hestia in the arm, and Hestia shook her head, laughing so hard it was coming out silent.

"OOOOOOOOOOH Prongs you have _competition_," Sirius taunted James, who grinned and looked over at Lily, who was still flushing.

"Well it's not as if he asked her out or anything," James pointed out, and Remus sniggered.

"She would've let him down easier than she ever let you down," Remus pointed out, and Lily laughed.

"You have a point." James narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend, who blew him a kiss. Sirius jumped up and 'caught' the kiss

"INTERCEPTION!" he yelled, and then stuck his tongue out at James, who grinned and rolled his eyes, "Do you want it?" Sirius asked, waving his closed fist in front of James's face, and James laughed.

"Nah that's okay mate, you can keep that one," he said, and Sirius smiled, and placed the 'kiss' in his pocket.

"Finders keepers," Sirius shrugged, and then blew a kiss back to Lily, who didn't move, "EVANS YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO CATCH IT!"

"Too much energy," Lily said, pretending to be exhausted and Sirius pouted.

"Prongs she's being mean to me!" he whined, and James shrugged, "Moony!" Remus shook his head and Sirius pouted even further, "Hest!"

"Sirius you stole her kiss," Peter pointed out, walking over to them, and Sirius stuck his tongue out at Peter.

"Well I was giving her one back AND SHE WOULDN'T TAKE IT."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe she just didn't want it?" Frank asked, as he and Alice walked over. Their parents had been discussing the wedding, which had exhausted them both.

"EVERYONE wants a kiss from Sirius Black," Sirius snorted, and Lily rolled her eyes, "LILY-FLOWER YOU'RE HURTING MY FEELINGS!" he yelled, and Lily huffed.

"Oh for the love of Merlin," she muttered, reaching up and grabbing the 'kiss'. Sirius grinned happily and turned to look at James, who was wearing an amused expression.

"She wants me," Sirius said, and they all laughed.

"Sirius she only took your kiss because you were irritating her," Hestia said, and Sirius shook his head stubbornly.

"No, she wouldn't take it because our love is forbidden," he pointed out, and they all sighed together, knowing it was a lost cause

"How is it forbidden?" Peter asked, and Sirius exhaled loudly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"_Because _Lily-flower is currently dating Mr. Prongs, who is my best mate. Also, I am currently dating Hestia," he said, and then turned to the girl in question, "We need to get you a nickname," he said seriously, receiving a lot of chuckles, before continuing his theory, "who is Lily-flower's best friend. So as you can see, if the two of us were to go after our love, and follow that path, it would substantially upset everyone."

"Wouldn't it just upset James and Hest?" Alice asked as she played with the tassel on her hat.

"No!" Sirius said defiantly, "Prongsie and Hest would be the most emotionally hurt, but it would hurt our whole group dynamic. See, if we did follow that path, then Lily-flower and Hest, as well as Prongsie and I, wouldn't be talking due to the feelings being hurt. If we weren't talking, you would all have to choose who to hang out with, and then it would separate us all FOREVER," he said dramatically, and Lily snorted, "What is it Lily-flower?"

"You forgot how McGonagall would be torn," Lily said, and Sirius's eyes brightened as everyone laughed.

"OF COURSE! MINERVA!" he yelled.

"What is it Mr. Black?" they turned to see McGonagall, who was walking around the grounds looking for people who were still outside of the castle. After all, it was late. Lily looked up at the sky and was genuinely surprised to see stars.

"MINERVA LOVE!" Sirius said happily, throwing his arms around her. McGonagall stumbled under the sheer enthusiasm of the hug and carefully peeled Sirius's arms from around her.

"Mr. Black control yourself," she sighed, and Sirius grinned at her.

"I thought you liked me out of control," he winked, and McGonagall's mouth twitched as she shook her head.

"I have to say, Hogwarts is going to be especially dull without the lot of you," she said, looking at the Marauders, who grinned proudly.

"Will you miss me?" Sirius asked, getting down on both knees in front of her, and McGonagall pursed her lips.

"I'll miss Mr. Potter more," she said, and winked at the laughing Lily and Hestia. James, Remus and Peter snickered at Sirius, whose jaw was hanging open.

"MINERVA! IT CANNOT BE! FAIR MAIDEN LET IT NOT BE SO!" he said, taking her hand in his and getting down on one knee. Dumbledore, who was also looking around the grounds for students, looked at the source of the noise and chuckled, walking over to his favorite Gryffindors, "MINERVA! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU FOR ALL THESE YEARS AND YOU'VE SECRETLY BEEN IN LOVE WITH _HIM_? _HIM_? HE WHO HAS NOT EXPRESSED AS MUCH AS A SMIDGEN OF INTEREST TO ANYONE OTHER THAN LILY-FLOWER? HE WHO DOES NOT POSSESS EVEN A FRACTION OF THE LOVE I FEEL FOR YOU? HE WHO IS NOT NEARLY AS SEXY AS I?" Sirius yelled. By now, all the Gryffindors were on the floor, or clutching their sides due to the sheer force of their laughter. McGonagall was grinning, laughing, and sobbing as Sirius Black attempted to woo her for the last time, "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?" he yelled, standing up so that he and McGonagall were only a couple of inches away from each other. McGonagall let out a sob, and wiped her eyes, before finally letting him go.

"Mr. Black, it is you whom I have loved for all these years, but our love still remains forbidden, as you are now dating Ms. Jones, and you are leaving me," McGonagall choked out through her tears. She was going to miss Sirius Black so much more than anyone could think. Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without his constant _pestering _of her. They all chuckled watery chuckles and Sirius grinned down at McGonagall

"Minerva, my love, we will always be together in our hearts," he said, smiling sweetly down at her, and McGonagall nodded stupidly, crying. Everyone knew McGonagall enjoyed having Sirius taunt her, and they all looked at the two sadly as they realized this wasn't going to happen again.

"I will miss you Sirius Black," McGonagall said, "Look after yourself," she added, smiling at him, and then at all the others, before walking up into the castle. Sirius smiled after her and then winked at Dumbledore, who chuckled, wiped his eyes, and followed McGonagall into the castle.

"You should be getting in now," Dumbledore said over his shoulder, and the seventh years looked at each other, and then at the night that surrounded them. They all looked at each other, and silently made the decision to walk up to the castle.

"I have a question," Sirius announced, his arm around Hestia, as he looked around.

"Merlin help us," James breathed from next to Lily, holding her hand, and Lily giggled.

"What is your question?" Remus asked, amused.

"Why is the sky down here?"

"Excuse me?" Lily giggled, and Sirius frowned.

"No I'm serious," he said, and then threw his head back and laughed loudly at his own joke and they all laughed along with him. When they calmed down, Sirius continued, "The sky. It's everywhere! I mean, right now, it's right here," he said, waving his arm at the air next to him.

"No it's not Sirius. The sky is up there," Frank said, pointing to the sky, "this," he said, waving his arm, similarly to Sirius, "Is just air."

"TECHNICALLY it's still the sky because the sky has no limits, so it _extends _all the way down here," Sirius pointed out, and Frank chuckled. There was really no point arguing with Sirius.

"Wow Padfoot, infallible logic," James said, looking at Sirius.

"Yeah Pads, you're a genius," Remus said, looking over at Sirius, who was smiling proudly.

"I know." James caught Lily's eye and rolled his eyes. Lily giggled and James put his arm around her, kissing the side of her head.

"You ready to enter Hogwarts, no longer students, for the first time?" Alice asked, looking at the stairs in front of them, which led to the Entrance Hall. They all looked at each other and at the castle quietly. James and Sirius took their arms away from around their girlfriends and held their hands instead. Hestia and Lily, who were in the middle, held hands. Gradually, they all held each other's hands, and entered Hogwarts for the first time as graduates.

"This doesn't feel any different," Sirius announced loudly, as they stood in the Entrance Hall, looking around Hogwarts. They all burst into laughter. Sirius Black was never going to change.

* * *

"Sirius Black, where are you taking me?" Lily whined, as Sirius dragged her out of her bed the next morning. She was wearing short shorts and a spaghetti top, and her was in a mess on top of her head. She turned to look at the clock to see that it was 8.

"LILY-FLOWER IT'S OUR FIRST DAY FREE!" he yelled, and Lily jumped at the sheer volume. People should not be allowed to yell in the morning.

"So we should be allowed to do whatever we want," she said, and Sirius nodded enthusiastically

"Exactly!"

"And I want to sleep, so I should be allowed to do that," she sighed, rubbing her eyes, and Sirius shook his head vigorously.

"No, I don't allow it. Not only is it our first day free, it's our last day at Hogwarts, and damn it you are going to enjoy it," he said sternly, and Lily yawned, and nodded. He was right after all. She didn't want to sleep through her last day of Hogwarts, "Good girl, now, go wake up your boyfriend. I'm going to make sure everyone else is awake," he said, and Lily frowned at him.

"Why did you wake _me _up?" she whined, "Why not him?"

"Because you're harder to wake up, it required a professional," he winked, and Lily giggled, "Now go wake him up!" Lily nodded sleepily as Sirius pushed her in the direction of James's staircase. Sirius watched her walk lethargically up them, and chuckled to himself, before running out of the Heads dorm to wake everyone else up.

He hadn't mentioned that Lily had been the first one he had woken up. He had also forgotten to mention that he'd turned her clock three hours ahead. _Oh well, _he smirked to himself, walking to Gryffindor Tower.

"James wake up," Lily said lazily, as she walked into James's room.

"Lily?" his voice mumbled from somewhere in the large bed. Lily frowned at it and saw random bumps, making it hard for her determine where James was. She walked over and started to poke near the headboard. She poked something squishy and James squealed, and something rose up near the foot of the bed. Lily frowned and pushed away the covers to see what she had poked, and found herself looking down at the bottom of James's large feet. She laughed walked over to where the thing had risen near the end of the bed, pushing the blanket away to see James's mop of messy hair.

"How did you get like this?" she giggled, referring to how he was upside down on the bed. James frowned and looked around, seeing a different view.

"Where am I?" he mumbled, burying his face back into the mattress.

"In your room?" Lily said uncertainly, "On your bed?"

"Why does everything look different?" he whined, his voice coming out muffled as his face was buried in the bed. Lily giggled.

"Probably because you're upside down."

"What?" James yelped, sitting up quickly. He fell back over as he lost his balance, from having sat up to quickly, and Lily laughed, "How did this happen?" he whined, lying down on his back and looked up at her. Lily smiled at how cute he was being.

"I don't know," she said, getting down on her knees so that her head was level with James's. He turned onto his stomach and rested his chin on his forearms, looking into her eyes. Lily looked into his eyes, sans the glasses, and smiled.

"You're all blurry," he said childishly, squinting his eyes, and Lily frowned.

"I'm right in front of you. Your eyesight's not _that _bad is it?" she asked, and James shrugged.

"First off, even if my eyes weren't that bad, and I still had glasses, you would be blurry. And to answer your question, my parents say I have the eyes of an old man," he grinned cheekily, and Lily shook her head.

"I don't want to have children with you," she said, and James's eyebrows shot up, hurt, "They'll all be blind"

"They'll live," he grinned, pushing forward to kiss her. Lily chuckled against his lips and kissed him back, before pulling away.

"Get up," she said, and James shook his head stubbornly.

"I want to sleep."

"Join the club," she mumbled, "Your stupid dog woke me up," she said. James frowned, trying to figure out what she was saying, before grinning.

"Why did he wake you up?"

"We're enjoying our last day in Hogwarts," she shrugged, and James smiled.

"Sounds legit"

"Exactly," she nodded, sitting down on her bottom and crossing her legs.

"What time is it?" he asked, sitting up and stretching.

"It's about 8," she said, and James nodded. He was slightly shocked that he hadn't woken up sooner. He crawled over to his bedside table, ignoring Lily's giggles as he did so, and grabbed his glasses. He pushed them onto his face and looked around at the suddenly clear room. He grinned down as he saw just how tired and disheveled his Lily was, and she smiled back at him.

"You look a lot prettier now," he grinned, and she rolled her eyes, but James could see her fighting off a grin. He chuckled quietly and reached over for his watch. He looked down at it and then choked, "Lils what time did you say it was?" he asked, looking up at her, and Lily frowned.

"I said 8-ish," she replied curiously, and James snorted. Lily, curious, got onto the bed and crawled over to her boyfriend. James, pleasantly surprised that she had done that, and was now leaning against him, put his arm around her. Lily looked down at his watch and shrieked, "WHAT? BUT MY WATCH SAID-AND SIRIUS-" Lily's eyes narrowed, and James bit back a laugh, "_Sirius," _she hissed, and James grinned, "That-that _dog _turned ahead my clock!" she yelled, and James nodded; it sounded like something Sirius would do. "How _dare _he!" James laughed and kissed his confused and sleepy girlfriend on the side of the head.

"We should get up regardless. It is our last day at Hogwarts," he said, and Lily sighed.

"I'm still going to kill him," she said, and James nodded, humoring his sleepy girlfriend. What he knew was going to happen, would be that Lily would go down, fuming, and Sirius would say something ridiculous, and she would try not to grin, but fail, and then not bring it up. James held his hand out to her and Lily took it, allowing him to pull her out of bed. Lily, who was still unstable on her feet, crashed into James's bare and well-toned chest, and her eyes widened.

"Yes Lily?" James asked, amused, and Lily shook her head. She traced her finger from the dip in his throat, down in between his pecs, and down to the strap of his boxers. James felt a shiver pass through him and his Adams apple wobbled. Lily grinned up at him and then took a step back, the line her finger had traced leaving tingles on James's skin, "What was that for?" he asked in a dry voice, and Lily shrugged.

"I'm going to go get ready," she said, and sauntered out of his room, leaving James frozen by the side of his bed. Once she was gone, James shook his head, and made his bed before changing his clothes, muttering to himself the whole time,

"ARE YOU WEARING HOGWARTS ROBES OR MUGGLE CLOTHES?" he heard her scream, and laughed to himself.

"MUGGLE!"

"OKAY THANKS!" James chuckled fondly and continued getting dressed.

When James came down the stairs, dressed in dark jeans and a black t-shirt, it was empty. He frowned and walked up to Lily's room, to hear banging. Curious, and a slight bit worried, he threw the door open.

"What are you doing?" he asked, as he watched Lily run around her room opening drawers and cupboards.

"Checking," she said, pulling open the drawers of her dresser.

"For what?" he asked curiously, entering the eerily empty room.

"If I've left anything," she said, turning around to look at him, "I'm finishing up my packing," she said, and James frowned.

"We have another night you know," he pointed out, and Lily nodded.

"I know, but I don't want to pack last minute," she said, and he shrugged.

"You realize you can round up your things magically right?" he smirked, and Lily flushed, "Honestly, it's like dating a muggle," he chuckled, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

"It's how I was raised," she said, crossing her arms, and James grinned, "Oh shut up Potter," she said, flushing, and James chuckled. He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her, and kissed her cheek tenderly

"I still love you"

"You better," she muttered, and James pulled back, raising his eyebrows at her, "After pestering me for six years to go out with you, if you dump me now, I will cut your manliness off with a machete," she said, narrowing her eyes, and James laughed.

"What, in the name of Merlin, is a machete?" he chuckled, wiping his eyes, and Lily grumbled.

"You ruin all my threats," she mumbled, and James laughed, kissing the corner of her mouth.

"I love you too, shall we?" he asked, gesturing out the door. Lily, who was fully dressed, in tight jeans, orange spaghetti and a short sleeved, thin white shirt through which you could see the orange spaghetti, followed him, "I like what you're wearing," he said, eying the white shirt, and Lily flushed.

"Thanks,"

"Although I'd prefer if you weren't wearing the orange thing," he winked, and Lily flushed even deeper.

"Shut up Pervert Potter," she chuckled, and James gasped.

"_Pervert Potter_?"

"I used to call you that," she giggled, as they made their way down to the Great Hall.

"When? Why?" James asked, his voice jumping octaves.

"Why is James squeaking?" Hestia asked. She and Sirius were coming down the stairs of Gryffindor Tower at the same time, and she swung her arm around Lily's shoulders.

"A more important question, is do you want to keep your boyfriend?" Lily asked, and Hestia's expression turned bewildered.

"Er, yes, why?"

"Because I want to kill him,"

"Me too, he woke me up bloody early," Hestia grumbled, looking at her boyfriend with an expression of loathing. Sirius grinned at her and winked.

"You know he turned my clock three hours forward?" Lily hissed, and Hestia laughed.

"Ah Lily-flower, you still love me," Sirius shrugged, swinging his arms around. His flying hand accidentally smacked into a suit of armor, which jumped to life and started to shake its fist at Sirius menacingly, "Oh shit, run!" Sirius yelled, as the suit of armor began to chase after the laughing seventh years, waving its axe thing. They made it to the Great Hall, before breaking down into laughter.

"Sirius you absolute prat!" Lily gasped, and Sirius laughed.

"I can't believe that just happened," Hestia breathed, clutching her side, as they walked to the Gryffindor Table, where they could see Remus, Peter, Alice and Frank.

"You can't believe what just happened?" Alice asked, as they all sat down.

"We just got chased by a suit of armor," James explained, and Remus raised his eyebrows, amused.

"What did you do?" Peter chuckled, putting marmalade on his toast.

"Sirius was talking, as usual, and he waved his hand about, and it smacked into a suit of armor," Lily explained and they all snorted, "Which then decided to chase us." By this time, they were all giggling, and Sirius took a small bow.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Frank asked, looking pointedly at Sirius, who had rudely awoken them all.

"Well I was thinking-"

"You were thinking?" Tonks said, walking over to sit down next to Remus. She looked slightly irritated, and Lily and Remus frowned at her.

"Oh ha-ha very funny," Sirius said, as everyone, sans Lily and Remus, laughed.

"What's wrong?" Remus whispered to Tonks, who shook her head, and bit into a piece of toast rather violently. Maria sat down next to Tonks and Remus frowned at her. Maria shook her head and rolled her eyes, going back to her food. Remus turned to Lily, who nodded slightly, and Remus smiled.

"Hey Tonks," Lily said, and Tonks looked up at her. Lily nodded towards the exit, and Tonks sighed and nodded. James, who had also noticed Tonks's weird state, let his girlfriend go. Lily walked by Sirius, who promptly decided to smack her butt as she walked by, "Sirius Black what the hell!" Lily squealed, as Remus, Peter, Hestia, Alice, Maria and Frank roared with laughter. James, however, was glaring at his best mate.

"Sorry Lily, hand spasm," he said, grinning at her innocently, and Lily rolled her eyes, before walking out with the laughing Tonks.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, turning to Tonks and Tonks flushed.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Yeah," Lily shrugged, grinning, and Tonks giggled.

"Sorry,"

"No need to apologize, what's wrong?" Lily asked gently, and Tonks bit her lip.

"I don't want you guys to leave," she said quietly, and Lily felt her heart melt, "I'm going to miss all of you. Plus, _he_'s leaving and…and…" Tonks stopped talking, and shrugged, and Lily grinned.

"It's alright, I understand. This isn't good-bye Tonks. We're going to see each other again," Lily promised, and Tonks nodded sadly.

"I'm going to miss you guys at school though," she sighed, and Lily nodded.

"I'm going to miss you too,"

"Really?" Tonks asked, her eyes twinkling, and Lily grinned and nodded.

"I have to ask you something though," Lily said, and Tonks nodded vigorously, "Hestia's little brother is coming next year, would you look after him?" Lily asked, and Tonks grinned.

"Sure!"

"Good," Lily said, knowing that Hestia was genuinely worried about her little brother. She had been so upset when she realized she wouldn't be able to watch out for him in his first year, "Let's go back?" Tonks nodded and they made their way back to the table, where Sirius was holding three boiled eggs.

"Sirius what are you planning on doing with those?" Lily asked warily, watching him and Sirius grinned.

"Watch and learn," Sirius said. Lily walked over and sat next to James, who smiled at her, before turning to watch Sirius. Sirius stood up on the table, holding all three eggs. Everyone turned to look at him, and Lily rolled her eyes, obviously if you stand on a table everyone is going to look at you, "NOW LILY-FLOWER," he said loudly, so nobody would have to strain to hear him, "WATCH. ONE OF THESE IS NOT BOILED."

"Why does he always have to embarrass me?" Lily whined, and James grinned, kissing her on top of her head. Sirius straightened his back, and began to juggle the three eggs. The Great Hall clapped and Lily snorted, unimpressed. Sirius then caught one of the eggs in his mouth, and ate it. Lily giggled, that was pretty cool. Sirius caught another one in his mouth as well, and the Great Hall clapped. He held the last one up and squished it on Peter's head. Peter yelled as yolk dripped down. Sirius took a bow as the Great Hall clapped, and sat back down on his seat.

"How did you know which one it was?" Alice asked excitedly. Sirius winked and grinned at Lily.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," he said, and Lily laughed. She had told him that quote back in their third year when they took muggle studies together, "Impressed Lily-flower?" he challenged, and Lily shook her head, "LIKE YOU COULD DO ANY BETTER!" he yelled, and Lily grinned, causing James to raise his eyebrows; Lily never took on a challenge unless she was sure she wouldn't make a fool out of herself.

"Sirius I'm more talented than you may think," she said, and Sirius growled.

"Prove it!"

"By doing what?" she asked, exasperated, and putting her toast down.

"Juggle!"

"Easy," she shrugged, and James, along with Remus, snickered as Sirius's eyes widened.

"How many can you juggle?" Sirius asked, and Lily grinned.

"How many do you suggest?"

"four," he said, and Lily shrugged, "no wait I mean five," Lily grinned and shrugged.

"I can do that"

"You're bluffing!" Remus said, fascinated. James, also, looked slightly abashed. Lily shook her head and Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"On the table Evans," he challenged, standing up, and Lily laughed. She stood up and climbed onto the table, "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, LILY EVANS THINKS SHE CAN OUT JUGGLE ME!" he yelled, and everyone looked at them curiously. Nobody knew much about Lily Evans; she had always been a mystery, "MOONY IS GOING TO KEEP THROWING US EGGS," he said, looking down at Remus, who sighed and pulled the basket of boiled eggs towards him. What choice did he have? "AND THE FIRST ONE TO DROP AN EGG LOSES."

Everyone in the Great Hall was now paying attention, as were the teachers. Would Lily Evans beat Sirius Black?

"GO!" Sirius yelled. Remus tossed him an egg, and he caught it, holding it his hand, "WAIT NO WORMTAIL IS GOING OT HELP ALSO," Sirius said. It would get boring if they had to wait. Peter reached over and tossed Lily and egg, which Lily caught.

_Two Eggs._

_Three Eggs_. Sirius turned to look at Lily, who looked perfectly comfortable, juggling the eggs. James was looking at Lily in wonder; where had she learnt to do that?

_Four Eggs. _

_Five Eggs. _Sirius Black was struggling.

_Six Eggs_

_Seven Eggs. _

_Eight Eggs. _Splat. The whole hall gasped as an egg burst on the table, and one of the contestants smirked.

Sirius Black had lost.

The seventh year Gryffindors snickered silently as Sirius, dejectedly, watched Lily, "Should I keep going?" she asked, her voice magically amplified by Hestia. The whole hall yelled yes and Lily sighed. She could go on forever. Peter kept tossing Lily eggs.

_Thirteen Eggs. _

"Okay enough!" Sirius said irritably, after all, he hated losing. Lily grinned and obliged, slowly throwing eggs back into the basket. She ate the last one and then took a bow as the Great Hall cheered, "Well played Evans," Sirius grinned, shaking her hand, and Lily laughed, climbing off the table.

"Where did you learn to do that?" James gasped, enchanted. He had known she was perfect, but not that perfect, and Lily grinned.

"During the summer once, Petunia and I went to circus camp, I was the best juggler," she shrugged, and they grinned. The boys looked over at Lily's friends, who, however, were grinning into their food. Lily had jugged nail polish bottles whilst Hestia had been cleaning out her makeup case a few years ago.

"You knew about this?" Sirius squeaked, looking at his girlfriend, who grinned and nodded, "AND YOU LET ME HUMILATE MYSELF?"

"I still love you," Hestia grinned, kissing Sirius's chin, and Sirius grinned, feeling infinitely better.

"So why was James squeaking before?" Hestia asked suddenly, when they were all done with breakfast, and were walking towards the Marauder tree.

"Oh right!" James said, turning to Lily, who grinned at him cheekily, "Did you know she used to call me Pervert Potter?" he asked, and both Hestia and Alice burst into fits of giggles as the boys snickered at James's expression.

"I remember that!" Alice grinned, looking at Lily

"Why?" James asked, and Hestia sighed.

"It was after you smacked her ass in the hallway and then promptly told her you wanted her to have your babies," she said, and James flushed as they all laughed.

"That's not fair, that was in third year!" he whined, and Lily laughed.

"That's when she made her vow," Alice sighed nostalgically, and James shook his head.

"I want to formally apologize for that, that was terrible," he said, and Sirius snorted.

"So it wasn't you who went on for days about the feeling of her ass?" he smirked, and James gasped, shoving his best mate, who only proceeded to laugh at him along with everyone else. They spent the whole day laughing, talking, swimming, running around, and basically enjoying themselves next to the lake.

"Lily-flower," Sirius said, standing up, and Lily grinned. She stood up and turned to look at her friends.

"We have plans for right now," she said to all of them, and they frowned at her. Sirius had helped her plan it, so he was grinning from next to her. They had planned it so that it happened an hour before Remus would be called by McGonagall to transform.

"That might be a problem," Remus said, and Lily shook her head.

"I thought about everything," she said, and Remus grinned at her, "now come on," she said, and they all stood up, following Lily and Sirius curiously. They walked into the Great Hall, which was empty.

"What are we doing here?" James asked, but Lily merely shook her head.

"Professor?" she asked tentatively. McGonagall walked out from behind the teachers' table and walked over to them, and smiled at Lily, "Thank you," Lily said, and McGonagall shook her head.

"It's my pleasure Ms. Evans," she said, smiling at the girl whom she considered a daughter, and then cleared her throat, "Please line up and follow me," she said, just as she had seven years ago, when these children were considerably shorter. Lily, Sirius, and their confused friends followed McGonagall, walking down the aisle between two tables. They stopped at the end of the aisle, in front of the few stairs, facing the teachers' table, "Wait here," McGonagall said, and walked away.

"Lily what's going on?" Hestia asked, and Lily shook her head. Remus was grinning, slightly choked, as he realized what was going on. James, seeing his expression, frowned slightly. What was going on? They all looked up as McGonagall walked back out with three items, and James felt his throat clog.

McGonagall set the three-legged stool in front of them, and placed the raggy old hat on it. She then unrolled a parchment, and cleared her throat, trying to hide the fact that she was about to cry. The seventh years were openly crying by now. McGonagall scanned the list for the Gryffindors, and only called their names out.

"Black, Sirius," she called in a clear voice. Sirius walked up the stairs, and sat down on the stool, which had seemed so much higher all those years ago. McGonagall gently put the hat on his head, just as she had seven years ago, and, as it had back then, it drooped and covered his eyes.

"Looks like I haven't learnt much," Sirius mumbled, and they all laughed.

"Ah, I know just what to do with you, GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled, and they all clapped. Sirius grinned and pulled the hat off, handing it to McGonagall, before skipping merrily to the Gryffindor Table, earning a few chuckles. He sat down and wiped his eyes, looking back at his friends.

"Evans, Lily." Lily walked up the stairs and as the hat fell on her head, she heard a small voice whisper in her ear, "Ah, Ms. Lily Evans. You have quite a future in store for you. Brilliant mind, yes, lots of courage, bravery, love…"

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled. They all cheered and Lily grinned. She pulled the hat off and looked down at her friends. She had brief flash of Severus standing in there, seven years ago, which vanished abruptly. She ran over and sat next to Sirius. He grinned at her, as he had all those years ago, and she stuck her nose up, scooting away from her, exactly as they had met. Sirius grinned and put his arm around her shoulders, and she giggled, leaning into him.

"Jones, Hestia"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Longbottom, Frank,"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Lupin, Remus"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Pettigrew, Peter" Peter walked up and the Sorting Hat was placed on his mousy head. A small voice whispered to him, 'you have changed my boy. I cannot make the same determination I made all those years ago. However, I will lie for the sake of your friends. Slytherin"

"GRYFFINDOR"

"Potter, James"

James grinned and sat down on the rickety stool. His vision was covered by black material, and he listened to the voice tell him exactly what it had all those years ago.

"GRYFFINDOR!" James grinned, tears flowing down his face. He pulled the hat off and handed it to McGonagall, who gave him a watery smile, and he walked over to the Gryffindor Table, watching the redhead as he had when he had first gotten sorted. He sat down next to Remus, as he had before, and grinned at him, before turning back to McGonagall.

"Prewett, Alice"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Congratulations," McGonagall said quietly, looking over at her Gryffindors, "It's been an honour teaching and knowing you, have a wonderful life," she said, and sniffed, and Lily felt her eyes fill with tears, "May the feast, begin," McGonagall said weakly, before grabbing everything, and, walking out of the hall, "I'll miss you, good luck," she said quietly, before walking out of the hall.

The five dishes in front of where they were seated filled up with deserts, and the Gryffindors grinned at Lily, "Thank you," Remus said quietly from all of them, and Lily shook her head.

"I figure, on the last night of Hogwarts, we should do what we did on the first," she grinned, and they all grinned at her. They ate their feast together, and when it was time for Remus to go, the Marauders looked at each other. Lily and Hestia herded Alice and Frank out of the Great Hall, and, with smiles to the Marauders, made their way up the stairs.

* * *

"So boys, it's the last one," Sirius said, looking around at his friends, who looked upset, and whose eyes were still slightly red from the Sorting, "Let's make it one to remember?" They all grinned at each other, and McGonagall walked by.

"Mr. Lupin, last time," she said, and Remus smiled at her.

"Thanks for doing this Professor," he said, and McGongall smiled, shaking her head.

"It's been my pleasure, go to your dorms," she said to the other three, who winked at Remus, before running up to the Marauders dormitory.

"Shall we?" James asked, as they watched the Marauders Map, and saw McGonagall get back to her office. They all nodded to each other, for the last time. Peter transformed, and James and Sirius hid under the invisibility cloak.

"I'm going to miss this," Sirius sighed, as they made their way through the crowded dormitory.

"We'll still transform and run around with Moony, and we can go down in the invisibility cloak," James grinned, and Sirius turned to grin at his best mate.

"You've really been a great mate," Sirius said, and James felt his throat clog.

"We're not doing this goodbye thing mate," James said sternly, "We're getting a flat together, and I'm seeing you over the summer," he said, and Sirius grinned, wiping at a tear that had rudely escaped without his permission, "And you've been the best mate possible," James added quietly, and Sirius chuckled a watery chuckle.

"I love you Prongs"

"I love you Padfoot"

"Ready for this?" Sirius said excitedly, as they stopped by the Whomping Willow, "Come on Wormtail!" The Whomping Willow froze and James and Sirius grinned at each other. They pulled the cloak off and James tucked it into his robes. They transformed and made their way into the tunnel, and met their best mate on the other side. The four Marauders ran around the Forbidden Forest for the last time, enjoying every moment of it. Even the werewolf seemed to know it was the last time, and for a while, the four Marauders walked around the forest, looking around for the last time.

* * *

Lily woke up with a lump in her throat. She got out of her bed and quickly waved her wand, making sure everything was packed. She changed into her Hogwarts robes, she wanted to change on the train for the last time, and looked around her room. She bit back a sob and said goodbye to her bedroom, where so much had happened, and closed the door. She dragged her trunk down the spiral staircase, where, on their first night, James had tried to get up. She left it in the Common Room next to James's trunk, and walked up James's staircase. James wasn't there; she figured he'd already gone down to breakfast. She looked around the empty room and her lower lip wobbled. She had had so many experiences in this room; snogging James, getting to know James, getting a letter from James's mum, having sex. She smiled around at the room, and for reasons she couldn't fathom, she grabbed one of the pillows. It still smelt like James. She grinned down at it, and put a charm on it so the smell never vanished, before taking it down the stairs and putting it in her trunk. Now, she would always have a part of the Heads dorm with her.

She said goodbye to the Heads Common room, where _so _much had happened, and ran out before she could burst into tears. She walked the familiar walk down to the Great Hall, memorizing everything about it. She entered the Great Hall, and looked around, for what would probably be the last time. She slowly walked in, her Head Girl badge pinned to her uniform, and sat down across from Hestia.

"Hi," Hestia said, sounding slightly dead, and Lily knew exactly how she felt.

"Morning,"

"We're leaving today," Hestia said nervously, and Lily nodded sadly, "You ready?"

"I will be," Lily smiled, and Hestia grinned, nodding.

"Me too."

Just then, there was a loud bang, and Lily grinned. The Marauders were going to have their goodbye prank. The Hogwarts Express left in 40 minutes, so they probably should. But she was wrong. Sirius, Remus and Peter walked over to her, and smiled down at her.

"We have a present for you," Remus said, and stepped aside. James walked forwards, holding a lily, and smiled at her. Lily felt her stomach swoop with the sensation of _déjà-vu. _Oh no, she thought, a smirk creeping over her face. He wouldn't.

"So, you remember how on your first morning in Hogwarts, James Potter sung for you," Sirius said. His voice was magically magnified, so the whole school was listening. Lily grinned and nodded.

"Well it felt only appropriate that on your last morning on Hogwarts, he does the same thing," Peter announced, and all the females of Hogwarts squealed. Lily's eyes widened and she looked at James, who was fiddling with the lily

"We want to apologize in advance for this, his singing voice hasn't improved much since then," Sirius said to the teachers, who chuckled, and James grinned, looking up at the teachers. They all remembered that first morning. James cleared his throat and got down on his knees next to her, just as he'd done all those years ago, and Lily wiped her eyes, grinning like a fool.

James opened his mouth and begun to sing the same two songs he had sung all those years ago. They had been muggle songs, since she was muggleborn, and Lily felt tears escape her eyes as James garbled out the same two songs he had sung to her on her first day at Hogwarts. He started with the first one, that was from the sixties.

"WHY DO YOU BUILD ME UP,

BUILD ME UP,

BUTTERCUP BABY JUST TO LET ME DOWN,

LET ME DOWN,

AND MESS ME AROUND AND THEN WORST OF ALL,

WORST OF ALL,

YOU NEVER CALL BABY WHEN YOU SAY YOU WILL,

SAY YOU WILL,

BUT I LOVE YOU STILL,

I NEED YOUUUUU,

MORE THAN ANYONE DARLING,

YOU KNOW. THAT. I. HAVE. FROM. THE. START.

SO BUILD ME UP,

BUILD ME UP,

BUTTERCUP, DON'T BREAK MY HEART!" he sung, and Lily chuckled out a sob. James grinned up at her and Lily giggled. She leaned down to kiss him, but Sirius held her back.

"No wait there was one more remember?" he asked, and Lily smiled, nodding. The female population of Hogwarts was in tears by this point, and the seventh years were trying hard not to cry of nostalgia. They all remembered when this had happened; it had been the first of many. It had been going on since the beginning of their Hogwarts lives. How could they not get nostalgic?

James cleared his throat once more, completely embarrassed, and sung out a song by one of the best muggle bands, in Lily's opinion, The Beatles.

"OH YEAH I'LL, TELL YOU SOMETHING,

I THINK YOU'LL UNDERSTAND,

AND I'LL, SAY THAT SOMETHING

I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND

I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND

I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND"

James didn't get anything out after that, however, because Lily had slid off that bench and kissed him. James grinned against her lips and put his hands on either side of her face, as the Hogwarts population clapped.

"HE WASN'T FINISHED!" Sirius bellowed, and Lily laughed. She got back on the bench, leaving James on both his knees, and Sirius nodded his satisfaction, as Hestia giggled and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Evans, will you go out with me?" James asked in a loud voice, and the Hogwarts population laughed. Those seven words, which had been repeated so many times throughout the seven years, had brought tears to so many peoples eyes.

Lily grinned and turned to Sirius, unsure if she should repeat what she did in first year or what she wanted to say now. Sirius winked and she grinned.

"Yes, Potter, I will," she grinned, and everyone cheered. James laughed triumphantly and stood up, cupping her face in both of his hands, and kissing her once more.

"I love you Evans," James whispered, resting his forehead on hers, and Lily grinned up at him.

"I love you too Potter"

**

* * *

**

**Just want to aknowledge the use of the songs:**

**Build Me Up Buttercup- The Foundations**

**I Wanna Hold Your Hand- The Beatles**

* * *

**Hey everyone.**

**That's it! That's the end of this fic! Thank you everyone who read it! The sequel is going to be called Green and Hazel, at least, that's what I think it's going to be called, we'll see, and it'll be up soon. I'll post something here when it's up so you'll all know. Thank you so much for reading this story, I really enjoyed writing it.**

**Keep tuned for the sequel! Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it (:**


	31. Authors Note

Hi everybody!

**SO,**

**The sequel is up! **

**It's called Green and Hazel, by me, , and the first chapter is called 'Reunited'**

**Thank you all for reading! **

**Enjoy the sequel!**

**-P.S- if it is not visible the second you check, my apologies, but I assure you it is up there. Just be patient (:**


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